del rey hoops for guinness world record - moraga€¦ · body attempted to set a guinness world...
TRANSCRIPT
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013 • Vol. 7 Issue 2
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Page B4
It's planting season!
Digging Deep with
Cynthia Brian, page D1
Campo boys' basketball
got a second chance and
played their way to the
Nor Cal Finals.
Page C1
Weed,Seed,Feed!
Sports C1-C3Life in Lamorinda B1-B12 Our Homes D1-D12
Table ofTears
Orinda’s Del Rey Elementary School student
body attempted to set a Guinness World Record
Monday for the largest hula hoop workout.
Given the 418 student body enrollment, the kindergarten
through fifth grade Dolphins could easily topple the pre-
vious record held by Allen Elementary School, of
Hutchinson, Kan. That record was set May 21, 2012 with
290 participants.
The challenge originated when school parent and
event organizer Eric Menke and his daughter read the
Guinness book at Christmas. Menke realized the current
hula hoop record holders were elementary school stu-
dents, and thought it would be a perfect fit for Del Rey
School, allowing students to dream big and be part of
something special. ... continued on page A12
Town News A2 - A12Life in Lamorinda B1 - B12HOW TO CONTACT US B5Classified B8Service Directory B9 Food B9Not to be Missed B10-B11Business B12Sports C1 - C3Love Lafayette C4Our Homes D1 - D12This Week Read About:Planning a Fire Station A2Free Enterprise at Rheem A4State of the City A6A Pair of Plant Sales B1Young Author B2Building a Life B3Easter Activities B6Glass Art B12SMC Sweet at WNIT C2
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Quote of the Week:"All of Orinda canrespond to action andchallenge people whoare trying to break intohomes."Read Letters to the
Editor, page A8
By Cathy Dausman
Del Rey Hoops for Guinness World Record
Saint Mary's is 3-1 in its inaugural season.Photo Tod Fierner
Spring into Sand VolleyballBy Rebecca Eckland
There’s a new team in town, and they’ve taken
over Moraga Commons. On sunny—and the
occasional rainy—days, the Saint Mary’s sand vol-
leyball team is hosting its home games at the park.
Beginning its inaugural season in February, players
were offered something they hadn’t had before: a
chance to play outside.
“Sand volleyball allows us to be complete vol-
leyball players. Indoors, you can hide if you can’t
pass. But here, you get picked on,” said junior Natalie
Loos, “so you have to develop your skills.”
Sophomore Sam Tinsley and junior Kristina
Gravin echoed the sentiment.
Unlike indoor volleyball with six players on the
court, sand volleyball is its minimalist cousin. There
are only two players on the sandy court, and they play
without shoes. A game consists of five best-of-three
doubles matches.
Tinsley, who started playing volleyball when she
was 15, added that playing outdoors is also more
physically demanding.
“I like the physical challenge of it,” she said. “I
never played in sand before, and moving, jumping,
in sand is a challenge.”
The NCAA only approved the addition of sand
volleyball last year and, so far, less than 30 schools
have added programs. Although sand volleyball is
not yet a WCC sport or a Pac-12 sport, the new team
offers players opportunities to learn other positions
and try out new skills.
For sophomore Rachel Gillcrist, a native of Den-
ver, playing in the sand is something new, but she en-
joys playing the game in a new way.
“[For the indoor season], I’m a middle and ender--
and I’m never in the front row,” she explained, “It’s
exciting to have a different role in the game.”
Her goal echoes those of her teammates: to im-
prove. “I’m just learning how it all works,” Gillcrist
noted.
Coach Brent Crouch has noticed a shift in his ath-
letes since the new sport was added.
... continued on page A12
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Cougars Post-Season
March 3-16, 2013
Alcohol:3/15 DUI Deer Hill/Stanley Bl3/16 DUI 1st St/Deer Hill
DUI Reliez Valley/WithersAuto:3/5 hit & run 3400 block Hamlin Rd3/7 reckless driving 1200 block Pleasant Hill 3/8 theft from vehicle 900 block Moon Ct
burglary 200 block Lafayette Crreckless driving Mt Diablo/Pleasant Hillreckless driving Reliez Valley/Silver Dell burglary 1000 block Rahara Dr
3/9 reckless driving 1st St/Mt Diablostolen vehicle 100 block Pidgeon Ctburglary (2) 3300 block Betty Lnreckless driving Camino Diablo/Stanley Bl
3/10 object thrown at veh. Olympic/Pleasant Hill3/11 accident 3600 block Mt Diablo3/12 reckless driving Glenside/St. Mary’s
auto burglary 3300 block Deer Hill Rd
3/13 auto burglary Brown/Mt Diabloreckless driving Central Lafayette exit/Hwy 24felony hit & run Dewing/Mt Diablo
3/14 hit & run 400 block Mt Diablo 3/15 auto burglary 1700 block Reliez Valley
auto burglary 1800 block Reliez Valleytheft from veh. 1800 block Reliez Valley reckless driving Deer Hill/Pleasant Hill auto burglary 1700 block Reliez Valley reckless driving 100 block Camino Ct
Burglary/Theft/Robbery/Forgery:3/4 ID theft 3600 block Mt Diablo
petty theft 3600 block Mosswood Dr3/5 petty theft 100 block Greenbank Dr
grand theft 3000 block Bradbury Dr3/6 grand theft 3300 block Walnut Ln
auto burglary 1000 block 2nd St3/7 petty theft 3600 block Mosswood Dr3/8 felony embezzlement (2) 3700 block Mt Diablo Bl
petty theft 3600 block Crescent Drprowler 300 block Castello Rdpetty theft 3500 block Mt Diablo
3/9 petty theft 3300 block Betty Ln3/11 commercial burglary 200 block Lafayette Cr
Residential burglary 1300 block Martino Rd
3/12 ID theft 100 block Hidden Valley Rd3/13 ID theft 3100 block Sandalwood Ct
forgery 3400 block Lana Lnpetty theft 1000 block Oak Hill
3/14 commercial burglary 3300 block Mt Diablopetty theft 1300 block Sunset Lp
3/15 residential burglary 3600 block Lincoln Wycommercial burglary 1000 block Blackwood Ln
3/16 petty theft 3500 block Mt Diablo residential burglary 1100 block Glen Rdresidential burglary 3200 block Marlene Dr
Miscellaneous:3/3 mentally ill 3400 block Monroe Av3/4 battery 900 block Hough Av
missing adult 3200 block Lucas Cr3/7 missing adult 3200 block Judith Ln3/10 trespassing 1200 block Monticello Rd
harassment 1000 block Windsor Dr3/11 battery 3500 block Mt Diablo3/13 missing juvenile 500 block Merriewood Dr3/15 uncontrollable juvenile 1200 block Pleasant Hill3/16 missing juvenile 3300 block Ridge Rd
Traffic Stops over the two week period: 250
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYA2
Civic News
Please submit Letters and Opinions:
Police Report
City CouncilMonday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Lafayette Library & Learning Center,
Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Planning CommissionMonday, April 1, 7 p.m.Lafayette Library & Learning Center,
Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Design ReviewMonday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Lafayette Library & Learning Center,
Arts & Science Discovery Center,
3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Check online for agendas, meeting
notes and announcements
City of Lafayette:www.ci.lafayette.ca.us
Phone: (925) 284-1968
Chamber of Commerce:www.lafayettechamber.org
Public Meetings
School Board MeetingsAcalanes Union High SchoolDistrict Wednesday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Del Valle Education Center, 1963
Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek.
www.acalanes.k12.ca.us
Lafayette School District Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m.
Regular Board Meeting
Stanley Library
3477 School St., Lafayette
www.lafsd.k12.ca.us
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Planning Commission Looks at Shared Fire StationBy Cathy Tyson
Very basic potential plans for a joint
Orinda/Lafayette fire station on El Nido
Road were presented to the Lafayette Planning
Commission last week in a study session. Looking
for constructive feedback prior to submitting a
building application is a productive way to test the
waters of the planning commissioners who may ul-
timately approve or deny the project.
Located literally on the border of Lafayette and
Orinda—one edge of the property line is on the city
limit—this potential 2.5-acre site could not be more
centralized to serve both communities, however
there is a large hill on the property that would limit
available construction locations. The Moraga-
Orinda Fire Department (MOFD) and Contra Costa
Fire Protection District (Con Fire) are interested in
sharing the station, although they haven’t formally
agreed on all the details.
MOFD’s chief Randall Bradley, along with ar-
chitect Alan Kawasaki, presented a bare bones pre-
liminary drawing of what a station at this site might
look like. ConFire’s chief Daryl Louder was unable
to attend the meeting. One key element of the de-
sign is the drive-through apparatus bay or fire truck
garage with openings on either end. Also on site
would be housing and adequate parking to accom-
modate fire personnel.
“We’ll do everything we can to address con-
cerns of the adjacent neighbors,” said Bradley. He
estimates a station here would receive about three
calls per day and most of those, 80-85 percent,
would be medical calls. The chief addressed noise
concerns, noting they only use the siren as neces-
sary to get through traffic and that late at night “we
don’t use sirens.”
If MOFD and Con Fire officially agree to work
together, they would need to file an application for
a land use permit, then go through the rigorous de-
sign review process and finally be approved by the
planning commission.
Some neighbors who live in the immediate
vicinity weren’t convinced that a station in the El
Nido area is a good thing, citing privacy, traffic and
noise concerns. “I don’t want a two-story fire sta-
tion looking down on my backyard,” said one
neighbor; another, who lives on El Castillo, said
he’ll be “greatly impacted.” However Anna Beck,
who lives on the Lafayette side, was fully in support
of a new station. “We love it, love the security,” and
she added, “Lamorinda should work together on
this.”
George Burtt of the Acalanes Valley Home-
owners Association has sympathy for neighbors but
said, “We’re in trouble right now,” referring to the
unexpected closure of the Lafayette Los Arabis sta-
tion in Happy Valley, leaving residents on the west
side of town with no fire station close by.
Planning commissioners had mixed feedback
for the potential applicants. Commissioner Jeanne
Ateljevich encouraged the fire departments to go
forward with making a more detailed plan, com-
missioner Patricia Curtin–Tinley shared neighbors’
concerns of location and privacy, questioning the
large parcel, and commission chair Karen Maggio
mentioned that she used to live near the now-closed
Los Arabis station and appreciated the sense of se-
curity, describing the station and staff as good
neighbors. She suggested, “It’s important to look
at the greater good,” and “this is an ideal location,
good street access.” She also expressed confidence
that the design review process would address pri-
vacy concerns.
(Editor’s note: MOFD’s board of directors was
scheduled to vote March 26, after our press dead-line, on whether to allow the $15,000 deposit forpurchase of the property at 1035 Lorinda Lane tobecome nonrefundable. Check our website for up-dates.)
View of proposed location of shared fire station, Lorinda Lane at El Nido Ranch Road, on the farwestern edge of Lafayette. The home on the left is in Orinda. Photo Cathy Tyson
Unusual Thanks for Road RepairBy Cathy Tyson
Usually when the Capital Proj-
ect Assessments Committee
gives its annual update on the capi-
tal improvement program, it can be
a little dry. Highlights include how
many streets got paved in the last
year—obviously big news if you
happen to live on a crumbling street.
Contributing to the recent uptick in
asphalt repairs is the addition of $3
million to help address the backlog
of failed roads in Lafayette. The
Lafayette City Council decided to
allocate this money, originally
promised as matching funds, even
though the recent Measure G “Fix
Our Roads” campaign narrowly
failed.
Resident Ann Burns was so
moved that the city kicked in addi-
tional revenue, she wanted to thank
city council members with a very
special token of her appreciation: a
gift-wrapped chunk of asphalt from
the road in front of her house. Ad-
mitting she was initially “angry and
frustrated” at the pace of road re-
pairs; finding out about the $3 mil-
lion addition, spread out over a few
years, helped clarify the commit-
ment of the council to deal with the
road repair backlog. Ten roads will
be paved this season with $1.1 mil-
lion—that figure will jump to $1.8
million for 2014, said Tony Coe, en-
gineering services manager.
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Baby Steps for PotentialPath ConnectorBy Cathy Tyson
The dilemma: how to connect
two well-used trails so that
bicyclists and pedestrians can enjoy
both safely? If linked, a new por-
tion generally near Olympic Boule-
vard would complete a trail
network that connects most of
Lamorinda, Central Contra Costa
County and the San Ramon Valley
that’s safer and more convenient for
everyone.
Currently the Lafayette Moraga
Trail (LMT) runs for over seven
miles on a path that was once used
by mule trains to carry redwood
from Oakland to Sacramento, later
converted to steam trains. Then it
became a utility easement, and now
a paved multi-use recreational trail,
according to the East Bay Regional
Park District that maintains and op-
erates it. Some residents enjoy it
from start, at Pleasant Hill Road and
Olympic Boulevard, to finish at
Valle Vista staging area on Canyon
Road – about 7.5 miles. Families,
dog walkers, and kids on bikes are
frequent users of this popular trail.
The Iron Horse Regional Trail
was once a busy railroad route; it
now runs between Concord and
Dublin following the Southern Pa-
cific Railroad right-of-way estab-
lished in 1891 and abandoned in
1977. It’s still not fully complete –
ultimately it will be 33 miles long
going all the way from Livermore to
Suisun Bay. It’s also managed by
the East Bay Regional Park District.
In 2012 the Contra Costa
County Department of Conserva-
tion and Development applied for
and received a $195,000 grant from
Transportation for Livable Com-
munities that will fund a study to
identify feasible alignments for a
pedestrian and bicycle facility con-
necting the two trails, explained a
staff report from October 15, 2012.
... continued on page A11
Stanley Student WinsCommunity ServiceProject ContestBy Cathy Tyson
Kate Walner of Lafayette had a
great idea. She wanted to
work on a community service proj-
ect that she could enter into the Julie
Foudy Sports Leadership Acad-
emy’s “Choose to Matter” contest,
but she didn’t want to ask people for
money. With soccer teammate Han-
nah Wells, the pair of dedicated
readers came up with the “Boxes,
bags and bins of books” project that
benefited three elementary schools
in the Oakland Unified School Dis-
trict with loads of books for their li-
braries.
... continued on page A11
The Walner family, from left: Theresa, Matt, Kate and Dan Photo Cathy Tyson
Photo Cathy Tyson
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www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYA4
False alarm, 3/18/13 It was the
house cleaning crew who set off the
alarm on a Paseo Linares residence.
Cops check out the crew, who hap-
pened to be waiting on the drive-
way, along with the exterior
perimeter of the house. Actual bur-
glars wouldn’t have waited for the
police to arrive, looks like they
were “clean.”
Somebody’s watching me, 3/17/13
A woman parked near Starbucks
was upset that someone was parked
in front of her car and watching her.
The reporting person did not know
the eye-baller, but was afraid to get
in her car to go home in case the
watchful individual followed her.
Turns out she was a 47-year-old
from Danville who had been shop-
ping at T.J. Maxx. With a police
escort the reporting person was
able get in her car and safely get out
of the parking lot. Crisis averted.
Turkey versus window, 3/17/13 A
Devin Drive homeowner called po-
lice to report that something had
just shattered her front window.
Upon arrival, police located a dead
turkey vulture that appeared to
have had an unfortunate collision
with the glass. The deceased bird
was not ticketed.
Noise violation, 3/16/13 A home
on Wandel Drive received a noise
violation for having a loud party at
11 p.m. on St. Patrick’s weekend.
It’s unclear how much ruckus the
20 guests and music caused, but
police politely suggested the neigh-
bors would prefer the sound of si-
lence.
Harassing the party people, 3/16/13
Chalk it up to St. Patrick’s day mis-
chief, an intoxicated subject on
Ascot Drive was yelling at people
through a megaphone. The fellow
was upset with a large group of col-
lege students at an adjacent com-
plex who were having a loud party.
Megaphone man was persuaded by
police to stop harassing the students
and stay inside his place for the bal-
ance of the evening.
Domestic Violence, 3/16/13 A 27-
year-old male broke a window to
enter a Donald Drive apartment
and assault his girlfriend. He was
arrested for domestic violence and
residential burglary. The victim
was taken by the fire department to
John Muir Hospital in Walnut
Creek.
PoliceReport
Check online for agendas, meeting
notes and announcements
Town of Moraga:www.moraga.ca.us
Phone: (925) 888-7022
Chamber of Commerce:www.moragachamber.org
Moraga Citizens’ Network:www.moragacitizensnetwork.org
Public MeetingsCivic News
Planning CommissionMonday, April 1, 7 p.m.Moraga Library, 1500 Saint Marys Rd.
Design ReviewMonday, April 8, 7 p.m.Moraga Library, 1500 Saint Marys Rd .
Town CouncilWednesday, March 27, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m.Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School,
1010 Camino Pablo
Share your thoughts, insights and opinions with your community. Send a letter to the editor: [email protected]
School Board MeetingMoraga School District Tuesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.
Joaquin Moraga Intermediate
School Auditorium
1010 Camino Pablo, Moraga
www.moraga.k12.ca.us
See also AUHSD meeting page A2
Town Seeks Ways to Help TheaterBy Sophie Braccini
Over the past seven years the
Rheem Theatre has changed
operators numerous times as one
business owner after another threw in
the towel. Every time, the community
rallied in support; but in the words of
the current operator, an independent
movie theater in a small town cannot
be a for-profit business. There are
many people who want the historic
building to be preserved and operated
as a theater; they view it as a commu-
nity building and ‘defining place’ for
Moraga. The support is so widespread
that the Moraga Town Council in-
cluded looking for ways to support
the private business, within the con-
fine of its limited abilities, among its
goals for 2013. The council began its
discussion March 13. Council mem-
bers agreed on small first steps, but
more significant town engagement
may follow.
“We have to ask two questions,”
said Parks and Recreation Director
Jay Ingram as he presented the staff
report to the council. “Is the building
worth saving? Is its use as a movie
theater important enough to the com-
munity?” He suggested possible
ways the town could support the the-
ater, including waiving planning fees,
giving it historical landmark status,
signing a sub-lease agreement with
the parks and recreation department
for classes and camps that could be
held there when movies aren’t play-
ing, and financing some of the the-
ater’s equipment needs with low
interest loans.
Residents came to testify about
the importance of the Rheem Theatre
to the cultural and recreational life of
Moraga—many community events
are held at the theater.
“People have asked why the
chamber of commerce has been sup-
porting the movie theater more than it
does any other business,” said past
chamber president Edy Schwartz.
“The Rheem Theatre is a foundation
of our community and of our business
community and needs to be supported
in a very different way.” Schwartz
demonstrated the level of community
support by pointing out that it took
only six weeks to raise money for a
new elevator, and offered information
about growing attendance at the the-
ater at a time when general attendance
nationwide is decreasing.
The theater’s importance was not
challenged by the council. The four
members present agreed with the res-
idents and answered yes to Ingram’s
two questions. However, they had
reservations stemming from the fuzzi-
ness of the figures and a process of
using public money to support a pri-
vate venture.
The theater has major needs – in
addition to the new elevator, second
bathrooms must be made accessible
to disabled patrons and expensive
digital projectors have to be pur-
chased; it’s unclear what the life span
of these projectors would be.
Another major hurdle is that the
current lease between property owner
Mahesh Puri and the theater’s opera-
tor, the California Annual Independ-
ent Film Festival Association, is
expiring within a year.
“This is mostly a problem be-
tween a tenant and a property owner,”
said resident Maureen Freeman, who
added that she supports the theater but
believes that the town should not min-
gle in a private business venture.
Puri and his wife, Minoo, at-
tended the meeting. They confirmed
their support for their tenant but ex-
plained this piece of property, that
comprises five other adjacent busi-
nesses, was not a profitable invest-
ment and had not been for years.
CAIFFA’s Leonard Pirkle sub-
stantiated that support by explaining
that Puri had reduced the rent, but he
added that the Rheem Theatre would
never make a profit. “Why not just
put a stake through it then? Because
it’s a work of passion,” he said.
CAIFFA also operates the Orinda
Theatre. “Things are easier there be-
cause the movie theater is part of a
larger business pool to draw from and
the property owner was able to invest
and buy all the digital projectors,”
said Pirkle.
The council decided that all it
can do for now is to waive fees for
the theater when it applies for per-
mits and encourage discussions
about designating the theater a his-
torical landmark. “That would help
with some of the state requirements,”
explained the town’s planning direc-
tor, Shawna Brekke-Read. “We did
it for the Pavilion (at the Hacienda de
las Flores) and were authorized to
build only one unisex ADA bath-
room instead of two in order to pre-
serve the interior.” A historic
landmark designation protects the
physical features of a building, not
its usage.
The council felt it could not use
public funds to support the theater at
this time. Town Manager Jill
Keimach indicated that in order for a
public entity to support a private ven-
ture, it had to demonstrate public ben-
efits beyond its primary business
function, and have a complete finan-
cial picture.
Staff was directed by the council
to work on those findings. CAIFFA
and Puri are starting their negotiations
for a long term lease and working to
clarify the financial elements. Plan-
ning staff will also meet with Puri to
discuss possible historical landmark
status.
Planning Commission Favors Free Enterprise Approachfor Rheem ZoningBy Sophie Braccini
The Moraga Planning Commis-
sion convened March 18 to
start making decisions about potential
new zoning for the Rheem Center
area, with the ultimate goal of making
it easier for desirable businesses to set
up shop. Its first decisions indicate
that a majority of commissioners do
not want the town to interfere with the
free market.
According to commercial real es-
tate broker Dave Schnayer, this dis-
cussion has been ongoing for 15 years
and has included many meetings,
town-funded studies and community
outreach.
Despite the fact that several of the
planning commissioners are newly
appointed, only a handful of residents
came to share their thoughts with the
commission; although many citizens
participated in previous public meet-
ings regarding the commercial zoning
and revitalization of the Rheem area.
Planning Director Shawna
Brekke-Read had prepared questions
for the commissioners to answer so
she could draft an ordinance that she
will bring back for the commission’s
review.
The ordinance will spell out what
commercial uses should be approved
over-the-counter (permitted use) in
order to provide a fluid and business-
friendly process to prospective owners,
and what types of uses would continue
to need to go through a formal review
process (conditional use), a longer and
costly system that gives more control
to the town but is a source of uncer-
tainty for business owners.
“What is your position on ‘for-
mula’ businesses?” asked Brekke-
Read. “Should they go through a
review process in order to favor lo-
cally-owned ventures?” Most com-
missioners declared their support for
free enterprise and refused to give
preferred treatment to locally-owned
businesses, although commissioners
Tom Marnane and Jim Kline noted
that the lack of charm of the current
commercial scene could be attributed
to chain or formula-based businesses.
The commissioners were also not
inclined to set a limit on the concen-
tration of similar businesses in close
proximity.
They agreed that restaurants
should be a permitted use, that out-
door sitting should be encouraged,
and that outdoor display of merchan-
dise was fine.
The commission decided that size
could trigger a conditional use
process, but wondered if the 2,000-
square-foot limit proposed by the
Economic Development and Action
Committee was too constraining. It
agreed that banks and other financial
services should be permitted on the
second floor of the center, but be con-
ditional on the ground floor.
The only type of business the
commission agreed to prohibit was
manufacturing.
The discussion will continue
when the planning director presents a
draft zoning ordinance to the commis-
sion.
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www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 A5
Share your thoughts, insights and opinions withyour community. Send a letter to the editor:
Share Your Thoughts about MoragaCommons ParkBy Sophie Braccini
Moraga Parks and Recreation
Director Jay Ingram just an-
nounced that a survey about the future
of Moraga Commons Park is now on-
line. Ingram expects about 1,000 res-
idents to participate and provide
direction in the development of the
park’s three key areas: the “back
forty,” the bocce ball courts and the
sand volleyball courts. The survey
will be available until April 12.
“We should be able, as a commu-
nity, to maximize the use of our park
acreage for as many residents as pos-
sible,” said Ingram. In general the
park is widely used; except for the
zone dubbed the “back forty”–the
easterly part of the park that’s home
to the disc golf course–and the sand
volleyball courts. The director be-
lieves that residents should have a say
on what the future use of these two
areas should be; he also wants to
know what they think about increas-
ing the area dedicated to the bocce
ball courts.
“We wanted to design an open
survey so people can dream of what
the ideal use should be; about what
they think is most needed in Moraga,”
said Ingram. Chris Chamberlain, an
assistant professor of hospitality,
recreation and tourism at Cal State
East Bay, and his students, designed
the survey pro bono. Chamberlain
and his team are experienced in pro-
viding such services to area cities, and
after the survey closes students will
come to community events and parks
to collect additional input from resi-
dents.
The survey is composed of about
20 questions with a series of choices
and additional space for comments.
“For example, the back forty people
can choose between leaving the area
as is, transforming it into a sports
field, a dog park, a meditation trail,
tennis courts, and more,” said Ingram.
“There is also a field where people
can suggest a different use or indicate
what they do not want to see happen
there.” All user groups are invited to
participate: youth, sports groups,
adults, seniors, service groups and
schools. “We also invite Saint Mary’s
students to fill out the survey,” added
Ingram.
Ingram will present the survey re-
sults and a plan, with financing op-
tions, to the parks and recreation
commission this summer. A final
plan should be presented to the town
council in the fall.
The survey can be found on the
town’s website, www.moraga.ca.us.
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Fire Chief Presents Plan to Town CouncilBy Sophie Braccini
Moraga-Orinda Fire District
Chief Randall Bradley gave a
presentation to the Moraga Town
Council March 13 regarding the pos-
sible merger of MOFD fire station 43
in Orinda and Contra Costa Fire Pro-
tection District station 16 in Lafayette
(read the related articles on pages A2
and A11).
The council did not express a de-
finitive opinion about the consolida-
tion plan, which Bradley estimates
would save the fire district about $1
million per year, but it appeared to be
favorable to the idea.
During the meeting’s public com-
ment period, Moraga resident and for-
mer MOFD board member Dick
Olsen said he believes the merger
would have negative consequences
for the town. “ConFire chief (Daryl)
Louder indicated at the board of su-
pervisors’ meeting that one way to
find funding for the new joint station
would be to convert station 17 into an
EMS-only station (no fire engine),”
he told the council. Station 17 is on
St. Mary’s Road in Lafayette.
This idea not only alarms res-
idents of Lafayette’s Burton Val-
ley neighborhood, but could have
an impact in Moraga as well:
“That station is the third respon-
der for Saint Mary’s,” noted
Olsen, who also pointed to finan-
cial concerns. “We here in Mor-
aga will suffer the consequences
if ConFire defaults on its pay-
ments,” he stated.
The Moraga and Orinda councils
are scheduled to meet with the
MOFD board on April 29.
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FOR INFORMATION
Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLY
Citizens' InfrastructureOversight CommissionWednesday, April 10, 6:30 p.m.Sarge Littlehale Community Room,
22 Orinda Way
Public MeetingsCivic News
Thank you forrecycling this paper.
It is printed on atleast 50% recycled
material andvegetable based ink
and should berecycled again.
A6 Wednesday, March 27, 2013www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977
City CouncilTuesday, April 9, 7 p.m.Auditorium, Orinda Library,
26 Orinda Way
Planning CommissionTuesday, April 23, 7 p.m.April 9 canceledAuditorium, Orinda Library,
26 Orinda Way
School Board MeetingOrinda Union School District Monday, April 8, 6 p.m.
OUSD Office
25 Orinda Way, Suite 200
www.orindaschools.org
See also AUHSD meeting page A2
Kaufman Released on Bail
According to Contra Costa
County Sheriff’s spokesperson
Jimmy Lee, Bay Area baseball
coach and Orinda resident Joel
Kaufman, age 52, was re-
leased on $325,000 bail the af-
ternoon of March 22, hours
after turning himself in at the
Martinez Detention Facility
and being booked for two
counts of lewd and lascivious
acts on a child, sexual penetra-
tion, annoying or molesting a
child and invasion of privacy.
Police Report
Check online for agendas, meeting
notes and announcements
City of Orinda:www.cityoforinda.org
Phone (925) 253-4200
Chamber of Commerce:www.orindachamber.org
The Orinda Association:www.orindaassociation.org
Mayor Recalls Orinda’s History and Spirit duringState of the City AddressBy Laurie Snyder
The first week of her latest term
as mayor, said Amy Worth,
was unforgettable – from the happy
highs when Forbes Magazine de-
clared Orinda to be America’s second
friendliest city to the frustration and
worry, a few days later, as torrential
rains triggered a state of emergency.
And yet, in spite of these roller-
coaster moments, it was Orinda’s his-
tory that was on her mind as she
delivered her State of the City Ad-
dress to a crowd of roughly 100 at the
Orinda Country Club March 20.
Worth began by recounting the
community’s Spanish beginnings – a
carve-out from four land grants from
the Alta California area of Mexico –
before paying tribute to Orinda’s
women. The city, in fact, owes its
name to Alice Marsh Camron, a po-
etry-loving pioneer who persuaded
her spouse to name their home
“Orinda Park” in 1876 – in homage
to Katherine Fowler Philips’ poem,
“The Matchless Orinda.”
“I often think of that literary and
intellectual heritage when I think of our
Orinda library which will be 100 years
old in 2015, and the tremendous role
that women played in the intellectual
and volunteer life of our community
and schools.” Families have relocated
here, since that time, for “excellent
schools, quality of life, and [Orinda’s]
wonderful sense of community.”
Reflecting on the city’s 1985 in-
corporation, she recalled how officials
“focused on the four ‘Ps’ – public
safety, planning, public works, and
parks and recreation” – and still do.
“Our current city mission states our
goal succinctly, ‘Orinda strives to pro-
vide excellent services in a fiscally re-
sponsible manner and to promote a
safe, healthy and vibrant commu-
nity.’’’ Paid staff and volunteer com-
missioners strive for transparent gov-
ernance via publicly announced
meetings and report postings on the
city’s website.
“We have lived within our means,
and have been able to provide excel-
lent services to our residents on a lim-
ited budget.” City revenues come
“from property and sales tax, along
with fees which support our planning
and parks and rec activities. Our
paving budget comes from our fran-
chise fees and our local share of the
Measure J transportation sales tax.”
Major capital projects, however, “re-
quire setting aside funds over several
years as well as securing local, state
and federal grants to fund them.”
Incorporation also gave Orinda
local zoning control for land use.
“Through our zoning ordinances and
the thoughtful work of our Planning
Commission, development projects
throughout Orinda reflect the com-
munity character that our residents
cherish.” The city’s library and parks
and recreation programs “serve all
ages,” further enhancing life.
... continued on page A11
“Families move to Orinda to raise their children because of our excellentschools, quality of life, and wonderful sense of community,” said MayorAmy Worth during her recent 2013 State of the City address at the OrindaCountry Club. Photo Andy Scheck
Orinda CIOC Recaps Road RepairsBy Laurie Snyder
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“I’m happy to report that we’ve
made significant progress,”
stated Dennis Fay as he began his
March 19 presentation before the
Orinda City Council. The chair of the
Citizens’ Infrastructure Oversight
Commission was on hand to update
city leaders and residents on the latest
efforts to improve Orinda’s roads and
drains. Since April 2009, the number
of arterial and collector streets in very
poor or poor condition has been re-
duced from 43 to 19.
Rehabilitated in 2012 were some
of the city’s most heavily traveled
streets known as collectors – Rheem
Boulevard from Hall to Zander Drive,
Orinda Way from the library to Irwin
Way, Camino Sobrante from Orinda
Way to El Ribero, Overhill Road
from Tara to Glorietta Boulevard, and
Valley View Drive from Crestview to
Don Gabriel Way.
“Our projections continue to
show that Orinda will be able to com-
plete the repair of the arterials and col-
lectors that currently are in poor or
very poor condition … by 2018 with-
out using the new Measure L fund-
ing,” reads CIOC’s report. A test of
new technology, “which recycle[d]
existing asphalt pavement rather than
replacing it” on Camino Sobrante,
Valley View and Overhill, was suc-
cessful enough that CIOC members
hope that it can be used again in the
future to save the city money. Staff
will conduct ongoing monitoring to
ensure the test work “is at least as
durable as the traditional technology.”
The city also began tackling a
drainage failure-induced sink hole on
Tarabrook Drive, ponied up $170,000
for drainage improvements to a 24-
inch storm drain between Coral Drive
and Fiesta Circle and three large El
Toyonal culverts, and used $38,355
for urgent road repairs to Camino
Pablo south of Orinda Way, El
Camino Moraga at Moraga Way, and
Spring Road.
But other neighborhood thor-
oughfares still need work. “As of the
current date, the number of residential
road segments that are considered
very poor (PCIs less than 25) was
130.” The estimated price tag is $22.2
million.
The $600,000 from the Measure
L sales tax will help somewhat; how-
ever, those increased revenues will
not be available to the city until Sep-
tember. In the interim, the CIOC
asked the city council to “advance
monies to the Public Works Depart-
ment to undertake the needed design
and construction documents … to
allow construction to begin as soon
as tax dollars are available.” Addi-
tionally, city leaders were urged “to
proceed vigorously with the 10-year
plan which … envisions raising
$39.6 million for the roads through
bonds issues [sic] in 2016 and 2020.”
The CIOC also asked the council to
consider authorizing a real estate
transfer tax, divert some of the in-
creased property tax revenues which
will be produced as older homes are
sold, and apply part of the $2.3 mil-
lion in one-time funds generated by
the Eden affordable housing pro-
gram.
CIOC commissioners contribut-
ing to the report included Fay, vice
chair Darlene Gee, Gordon Bizieff,
Jeffrey Smyly, Joan Dahl, and
Richard Nelson.
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“P” Is for Pat – Orinda’s Citizen of the YearBy Laurie Snyder
“It’s all about the schools,”
said Mayor Amy Worth as
she presented a proclamation hon-
oring Patricia “Pat” Rudebusch
March 15. Worth took turns recit-
ing the declaration with Vice
Mayor Sue Severson and Orinda
City Council member Steve Glazer
as part of the celebration honoring
Rudebusch – Orinda’s Citizen of
the Year for 2013.
Glazer, a frequent collaborator
with Rudebusch on K-12 educa-
tion ballot initiatives, emceed the
event, which was co-sponsored by
the Rotary Club of Orinda and the
Contra Costa Times’ Lamorinda
Sun. Past citizen of the year hon-
orees, Orinda Union School Dis-
trict (OUSD) parents,
administrators and teachers, neigh-
bors, and Rudebusch’s family and
Orinda News colleagues were also
on hand.
The tuxedoed Glazer, who fre-
quently roasted his longtime friend
throughout the evening, began by
welcoming attendees “to the friend-
liest city in California.” Severson
and Moraga-Orinda Fire District
board member Alex Evans pre-
sented resolutions from U.S. Con-
gressman George Miller and
California legislators Mark De-
Saulnier and Joan Buchanan. Contra
Costa County Supervisor Candace
Andersen rushed in from an emer-
gency board meeting in Martinez to
commend Rudebusch for keeping
Orinda’s schools strong.
... continued on page A11
“We are extremely blessed,” said Mayor Amy Worth of contributions to thecommunity made by Pat Rudebusch, who was named Orinda’s 2013Citizen of the Year March 15. Photo Ohlen Alexander
©2012 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal HousingOpportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Office Is Owned And Operated by NRT LLC. DRE License # 01908304.
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Share your thoughts with our community! Opinions in Letters to the Editor are the express views of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lamorinda Weekly. All published letters will include the writer's name and city/town of residence -- we will only accept letters from those who live in, or own a business in, the communities comprising Lamorinda (please give us your phone number for verification purposes only). Letters should be 350 words or less; letters of up to 500 words will be accepted on a space-available basis. email: [email protected]; Regular mail: Lamorinda Weekly, P.O.Box 6133, Moraga, CA 94570
Editor:
I write in response to “The War of the Barres,” published
on March 13th.
I love The Dailey Method (TDM). I love its unique phys-
ical and mental practice. I’m not an instructor or studio
owner. I’m a client.
For a year and a half, I took three to five TDM classes a
week at the Lafayette studio. In mid-November, The Dai-
ley Method Lafayette disappeared overnight, replaced
with a new name and a new workout. I did not choose this
switch; it switched on me. Without a TDM home, I at-
tended the “old studio” but this was not the same product
that I loved.
Thankfully by mid-December, Christine Olson and Kerry
Corcoran brought The Dailey Method back in a temporary
space where clients like me took classes until the perma-
nent home opened in Lafayette at 3344C Mt. Diablo Blvd.
While the temporary space had a back to basics feel,
Christine and Kerry preserved two core aspects of TDM:
(1) The Dailey Method mental and physical regimen and
(2) The Dailey Method instructors.
The statement, “The war of the barres started when some
of Pecci La Brecque's instructors left her studio,” misses
a crucial point. The TDM instructors left the old studio
because they chose to stay TDM instructors.
The Dailey Method is grounded in hard science, creden-
tialed leadership, and continued research and training. The
Dailey Method’s rigorous training program requires a sig-
nificant investment by the future instructor. Once trained,
a TDM instructor may teach at any The Dailey Method
studio. She also receives advanced training and is con-
nected to the growing TDM community worldwide.
Should life require a TDM instructor leave the East Bay,
she will find The Dailey Method studio in her new home
and if not, she can open one.
As a smart business practice, The Dailey Method requests
its instructors promise not to teach a barre class at a “com-
petitor” studio. When it severed its ties with The Dailey
Method, the old studio became a competitor thus forcing
the instructors into a decision. To teach at the old studio
meant abandoning The Dailey Method practice, its core
values, its continuing education, and its broader commu-
nity. Had they remained, they would have lost forever the
opportunity to teach at any The Dailey Method studio,
anywhere, ever again.
I am proud to support the half-dozen TDM instructors –
all local area moms – who honored their commitments to
The Dailey Method, to their training, and to clients like
me, by keeping The Dailey Method open in Lamorinda.
And I am thrilled to support local East Bay - business
owner - moms, like Christine Olson and Kerry Corcoran.
Because of The Dailey Method practice, I’m stronger,
leaner, and more physically fit. But most important, my
life is enriched daily through the friendships I’ve found in
the women making up The Dailey Method Lamorinda
community and for that I am forever grateful.
Warmly,
Wendy McGuire Coats
Lafayette
Editor:
Sophie Braccini’s The War of the Barres article published
Wednesday, March 13 well represents both fitness meth-
ods, The Dailey Method & NextBarre, though the title of
the article is a bit sensationalistic. I am a professional
dance teacher and I’ve enjoyed being a longtime client of
The Dailey Method (TDM) and now NextBarre. Not
every body can do the exact same workout with equal suc-
cess. For my body, NextBarre is a more efficient 1-hour
workout. At TDM I took 2 back-to-back classes a day, 4
days a week to get the results I wanted. With NextBarre I
only need to take 1 class a day, 4 days a week. But that’s
my body. I agree that there is room for two barre-based
studios in Lamorinda. Both classes are very good and all
the instructors are rock-star caliber teachers. Certainly I
miss TDM teachers who decided to leave the studio when
it changed to NextBarre but I know they are helping others
just as they helped me. For many women TDM was a so-
cial outlet as well as a workout so I understand their emo-
tional responses to the changeover. For me, it's just about
the workout and, at this time, NextBarre is the better fit.
Jennifer Davis
Lafayette
Editor:
An Open Letter to Chief Bradley and the MOFD Board,
We applaud your effort to obtain community opinion on
the proposed consolidation of Station 43 with Lafayette
Station 16. Unfortunately, we cannot attend your sched-
uled workshop on Wednesday, March 20th. Therefore, by
this letter, we wish to state publicly our strong support for
your continued investigation of the feasibility of this con-
solidation option, for the following reasons:
1. Improved Protection from a major woodland
fire coming from Lafayette: We live in the Charles Hill
Road area near the border of Lafayette, north of High-
way 24. You have stated that studies predict that a
major woodland fire during the fire season is likely to
start east of Orinda aided by "Santa Ana - like" winds.
With Lafayette Station 16 closed and no prospect of it
reopening, we feel more exposed to this very real
threat. Locating proposed Station 46 on El Nido Ranch
Road would provide improved protection for us in the
Charles Hill area as well as the residents of Lafayette
north of Highway 24. Fires know no city boundaries.
2. Improved District Finances: MOFD cannot
walk away from the opportunity of receiving $1 mil-
lion annually from ConFire to operate Station 46 for
the benefit of Lafayette as well as Orinda. Those resi-
dents who contend that considering the consolidation
option is "pennywise and pound foolish" have their
facts backwards! As you well know, MOFD is faced
with a major challenge to fund pension obligations
which threaten to reduce future service levels. This
added cash flow can most certainly help!
3. No Net Increase in Orinda Response Times: We
understand that the relocation of Station 43 to 46 would
result in no net increase in Orinda's community wide
response times. Yes, some Orinda residents will see
their response times increased, but the community as a
whole will benefit. In fact, our own response time will
increase with the move, but we believe the two positive
reasons stated above outweigh this negative for us -
and, indeed for all Orinda residents!
Please continue to investigate the consolidation option!
Sincerely,
Kristi & Art Haigh
Orinda
Editor:
Here is an example of a good neighbor:
We live in Orinda and we were away. The sharks were cir-
cling. One morning a truck pulled into our driveway. Two
men started to find the best way in to our house. Our
neighbor Melanie saw what was happening and immedi-
ately went out to ask what they were doing. Their answer?
The response didn't jive and our neighbor promptly took
their license number and went inside to call the police.
The two robbers realized they were challenged and drove
off. The police were here quickly and praised Melanie
Flum for her quick response. All of Orinda can respond
to action and challenge people who are trying to break in
to homes.
Thank you Melanie for immediately getting involved.
Brian and Ingrid Miller
Orinda
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At a March 20 public work-
shop, Orinda residents lam-
basted the Moraga-Orinda Fire
District’s proposal to merge its fire
station 43 with Contra Costa
County Fire Protection District sta-
tion16. In addition, a second
MOFD board member and the fire-
fighters’ union withdrew their sup-
port for the consolidation plan.
Fire Chief Randall Bradley out-
lined the plan to an involved Orinda
audience, focusing on the location
of the new combined station, the fi-
nancial benefits to the district and
the consequent service level im-
pacts. He also cited major concerns
about the partnership, including the
ability of ConFire to uphold its end
of the bargain through the county's
uncertain financial times, and the
fact that the union has backed off
its support of the merger.
In a phone interview Vince Wells,
president of United Professional Fire-
fighters of Contra Costa County
Local 1230, explained the union's po-
sition. "The plan is far too much in
favor of the MOFD, and it is not fair
to the ConFire employees and the
communities they serve," he said.
Wells, who represents firefighters in
both ConFire and MOFD, does not
think it is right that the new station
will be paid for in part by ConFire but
will be staffed exclusively by MOFD
employees.
Comments from the Orinda audi-
ence were overwhelmingly negative:
“I have concerns for noise and for
my privacy.”
“Why not just rebuild 43 right
where it is? Serve Orinda!”
“I have no confidence in ConFire.”
“Too many unanswered questions.
This is crazy. You’re playing with
fire!”
"What we have, works! I see how
this works well for Lafayette. I
don’t see how this works for us!”
Only one of the more than 20
public comments was favorable to the
proposal. “The minimal service im-
pact for a $60 million savings is worth
it,” said Orinda resident Steve Cohn,
referring to the 30-year projected op-
erational savings to both fire districts
that may result from the merger.
The board members’ opinions
were mixed. Directors Alex Evans
and Steve Anderson spoke in favor
of the merger, because they believe
that the cost savings will sustain the
long-term viability of MOFD.
Board vice president John Wyro
wished to continue dialogue with
ConFire, but he expressed concern
over its financial stability. Frank
Sperling, board president, again re-
fused to support the consolidation.
And director Fred Weil, who was
previously in favor of the idea, de-
livered an eloquent speech on the
failings of the proposed merger.
“My decision is ‘No’,” he said.
“Let’s get on with our own business,
and stop this discussion tonight.”
The audience cheered after Weil's
presentation.
Despite time and public pressure
bearing down on the district, the
board voted 3-2 to continue the nego-
tiations with ConFire. A special board
meeting was scheduled for March 26,
after our press deadline, to decide
whether to approve a $15,000 non-re-
fundable deposit to the seller of the
property on which MOFD plans to
build the new fire station— read the
related article, “Planning Commission
Looks at Shared Fire Station” on page
A2, and check our website for up-
dates, www.lamorindaweekly.com.
Orindans Speak Out AgainstMOFD-ConFire PlanBy Nick Marnell
Lamorinda Fire News BriefsBy Nick Marnell
Supervisors AskCCCERA forChange of Plan
The Contra Costa County Board
of Supervisors voted to issue a notice
to the Contra Costa County Employ-
ees' Retirement Association board.
The notice requested that CCCERA
reduce its investment rate of return to
7.25 percent on July 1, 2014, rather
than phase-in the reduction from 7.75
percent over a number of years. The
recommendation was made by
County Administrator David Twa.
Rollie Katz, Local One represen-
tative, argued that, as a result of the
lower assumed rate of return, employ-
ees will have to pay more into their
pension funds. Supervisor John Gioia
countered that the new rate was a fair
compromise, since if an assumed rate
of investment return is not met, the re-
sult is a greater unfunded pension lia-
bility, which is the total responsibility
of the employer.
The pension plans of both the
Moraga-Orinda Fire District and the
Contra Costa County Fire Protection
District are managed by CCCERA.
Highway 24 AccidentInvestigation
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District
hired Sharry and Associates to inves-
tigate the Dec. 2 Highway 24 acci-
dent in which three MOFD
firefighters—Kelly Morris, Mike
Rattary and Steve Rogness— were
seriously injured. The investigation
began March 14, and the report is
due in mid-May.
"John Sharry was the lead inves-
tigator for one of the most famous
life-loss fires in the country - the
Beverly Hills Supper Club," said
MOFD fire chief Randall Bradley.
Sharry has also chaired the National
Fire Protection Association's Techni-
cal Committee on Firefighter Health
and Safety. He will be paid $125 per
hour, up to a maximum district ex-
penditure of $10,000. This cost was
anticipated and included in the
MOFD's mid-year budget review ac-
cording to Sue Casey, administrative
services director.
The scope of the investigation
will run from a determination of the
district's safety culture to a thorough
analysis of MOFD policies and pro-
cedures, according to Division Chief
Stephen Healy, who is the district's li-
aison to Sharry.
Morris said recently that her
knees are feeling much better, but that
her ankle is still bothering her and
may require surgery. Healy confirmed
that Rattary returned to work in
March, and Rogness continues to re-
cover at home from his injuries.
Pension ObligationBonds
When the Moraga-Orinda Fire
District issued its Pension Obligation
Bonds in 2005, the bonds were pur-
chased by Lehman Brothers. The dis-
trict then entered into a Debt Service
Deposit Agreement in which Lehman
paid the district a $450,000 fee in lieu
of future investment earnings; the fee
in reality being an advance against fu-
ture revenue—that is, the interest on
property tax payments. In 2009,
Lehman Brothers declared bank-
ruptcy.
A representative of Legacy Asset
Management Company, a subsidiary
of Lehman Brothers Holdings, con-
tacted MOFD and explained that,
since the DSDA represents an asset
to the Lehman estate, it would like to
bring the contract to a mutually ben-
eficial conclusion to both parties
after a termination payment is made
by MOFD. The matter was for-
warded to MOFD’s legal counsel,
Steve Meyers.
Meyers recommended that the
district work with Craig Bettencourt,
of Prager & Co., LLC, to negotiate a
settlement and termination of the
DSDA. Bettencourt agreed to nego-
tiate the settlement pro bono.
At its March 20 meeting, the
MOFD board unanimously ap-
proved staff's recommendation to en-
gage Bettencourt's services.
Moraga-Orinda Fire District Board of Directors MeetingsThe Moraga-Orinda Fire District holds Board Meetings on the first and thirdWednesday of every month at 7 p.m. Any exceptions will be posted in advance.
Next meeting: Regular Board Meeting, April 3, 2013, 7 p.m.
(Go to www.mofd.org as the meeting date approaches for location and more information)
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We are pleased to make space available whenever possible for some of Lamorinda’s dedicated community service organizations tosubmit news and information about their activities. Submissions can be sent to [email protected] with the
subject header In Service to the Community.
Community Service
Girl Scout Luau BenefitsChildren’s HospitalSubmitted by Lori Langley
It was a rocking good time for a terrific cause
at the Father-Daughter Luau Dance held re-
cently at the Lafayette Community Center.
Local fifth-grade Girl Scouts of Troops 32787
and 32788 joined together to organize, promote,
and host the event which included dancing,
crafts and a photo booth. Proceeds from the
event benefited Children’s Hospital Oakland,
supporting its mission to care for children in
need. In addition to the much-needed funds,
participants brought donations including cloth-
ing, books, rattles, and teething devices. These
girls, many whom have been together since
kindergarten, worked all fall to make this dance
a success and have earned their bronze merit
badge.
Photo Provided
LLLC Foundation ExecutiveDirector Announces RetirementSubmitted by Caitlin Meaney Burrows
The Lafayette Library and Learning Cen-
ter Foundation announced March 18
that Kathy Merchant, executive director of the
foundation since November 2010, will retire
from her position.
As a founding trustee, the first president
of the LLLCF and a major donor, Merchant
became the LLLCF’s first executive director.
Her leadership in the decade leading up to
the opening of the Lafayette Library and
Learning Center was instrumental in raising
community awareness of the benefits af-
forded by this unique library and consortium
partner model. In addition, Merchant helped
secure the necessary funding to launch initial
construction and the library’s annual funding
campaign.
Despite an economic downturn following
the successful “Imagine a Place” capital cam-
paign that allowed the library to open its
doors, Merchant helped the board of trustees
successfully reach its $4 million goal for
LLLCF’s “Open Doors, Open Minds” cam-
paign to establish a sustainability fund in
2011. LLLCF provides over 50 percent of the
library’s total operating costs which supports
longer open hours, enriching programs and
the sustainability of the building.
Vickie Sciacca, senior community library
manager said, “Kathy Merchant's dedication
to the Lafayette Library has been a tremen-
dous gift to the community. Her passion for
libraries, her commitment to excellence, and
her understanding of literature, art, and edu-
cation have been instrumental in shaping the
direction of the Lafayette Library for years to
come. We are absolutely grateful to Kathy for
helping the Lafayette Community realize, and
not just imagine, such a place.”
The LLLCF board of trustees has started
a formal search process to find a new execu-
tive director, expected to be in place this sum-
mer; it will celebrate Merchant’s contributions
to the Lafayette community at a reception to
be held in early summer.
National Charity League Class of2013Submitted by Sherry Henderson
The Acalanes Area Chapter of National
Charity League – a mother-daughter non-
profit organization dedicated to serving local
communities – once again celebrated their grad-
uating seniors during the 2013 Senior Celebra-
tion Program Feb. 23 at the Claremont Hotel.
Nationally, there are over 175 chapters com-
mitted to fostering the mother-daughter relation-
ship through philanthropic, leadership and
cultural activities. Membership in the Acalanes
Area Chapter is drawn from the Lamorinda
communities of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda.
Participation begins in seventh grade and con-
tinues through the senior year of high school.
The girls are honored for their many hours of
philanthropic work volunteering at Foster-A-
Dream, Lafayette Library, California Shake-
speare, Juvenile Diabetes, Bay Area Rescue
Mission, and Special Olympics, among others.
The Class of 2013 put in over 2,700 volunteer
hours during their years in our Chapter.
These volunteer activities combined with
activities focused on leadership development
and cultural awareness, form the three pillars of
National Charity League, and help to initiate a
lifelong commitment to community service and
deepen the bond between mother and daughter.
For membership information, please visit
www.nationalcharityleague.org.
Front row, seated from left: Claire Svedberg, Victoria Perrella, Bailey Finegold, Kathryn MacNulty, AllisonBaymiller, Rebecca Frazier. Second row: Jessica Wilcox, Kendal Taylor, Victoria Cimino, Madeline Yzurdiaga,Rachel Sears, Hayley Wilcox, Amanda Lemelin, Madison Yeack, Hadley Swanson. Back row: Tela Zembsch,Cassidy Waters, Madison Hossfeld, Katherine O'Keefe, Katherine Catton. Photo Studio Fotographica
New Eagle Scouts
Luther Kuefner, Aaron Miller, Justin Nathan, Nicholas Villanueva and Reece Yamamoto; Lafayette Boy Scout Troop 243. Photo Amy Baba
Serge Balian, Chris Greenfield and C.J. Novogradac; Orinda Boy Scout Troop 237.Photo provided
Lafayette Juniors Oscar NightHelps Local Non-ProfitsSubmitted by Christy Mack
The Lafayette Juniors held A Night at the
Oscars benefit in late February to raise
money for New Day for Children, CoachArt,
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, the Lafayette
Library, and We Care. From left, Anna Ep-
pinger, Sylvia Ames, Colleen Miller, Heidi
Keely, Michelle Muller, Lisa McCauley, and
Daniele Upp.
Photo provided
Kathy Merchant Photo Provided
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www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 A11
Mayor Recalls Orinda’s History andSpirit during State of the City Address... continued from page A6
Worth then added a “fifth P” for
partnerships – between the city and
various county, state and federal agen-
cies – and between the city and its res-
idents. She thanked Orindans for
supporting Measure L “to signifi-
cantly increase our investment in road
and drain repair,” and urged everyone
to continue working together with po-
lice to preserve Orinda’s designation
by the FBI as “one of the top five
safest cities in California.”
As to whom Orindans are in
2013: “Our population under 65 has
gone down by 10 percent while our
population of residents over 65 has in-
creased by 10 percent.” Just over
1,000 are now between ages 20 to 34
with the bulk – 8,169 – aged 35 to 65.
“I think that affirms what we all
know. That young people move here
to raise their children and then stay
through their retirement years.”
Moving forward, she announced,
“We are going to celebrate and honor
individuals and groups who con-
tribute to make Orinda the wonderful
community and the friendliest city
that it is.”
Mayor Worth will deliver herState of the City Addressagain in a free presentation at7 pm on April 15 in theOrinda Library Auditorium.
Civic News Orinda
Civic News Lafayette
Orinda in Action Show your civic pride April 20By Laurie Snyder
Whether you care about
creeks, loathe litter, have
been itching to exercise that green
garden thumb, or have simply spotted
a corner of your community which
needs a little tender loving care, April
20 is your day to join hands with fel-
low Orindans to show your civic
pride. Organizers of the fifth annual
Orinda Action Day are looking for
volunteers of all ages, and have a list
of ways that residents may pitch in.
The community clean-up event
which annually draws hundreds of
helpers has become a popular way
for seniors to get out and mingle,
moms to teach tots about caring
for their world, and Lamorinda
area students to fulfill required
volunteer hours for school. Scout
troops are particularly urged to
participate this year, say event co-
chairs Jessica Smith and Holly
Henkel.
Registration check-in will begin
at 9 a.m. at the Orinda Library Plaza.
Volunteers will be given free T-shirts
while supplies last, and treated to
fresh fruit, bagels, and coffee to fuel
up before getting busy. Drop-in reg-
istrants are also welcome the day of
the event.
Volunteers will reassemble at the
plaza between 11:30 a.m. and noon
for a round of high fives and pizza.
To learn how you can help and
pre-register, click on “Orinda Action
Day” on the Orinda Community
Foundation’s website
(www.orindafoundation.org), and fol-
low the instructions. Or send an e-
mail with volunteer name(s) and
preferred project to: orindafounda-
“P” Is for Pat – Orinda’s Citizen of the Year... continued from page A7
“It’s all about the ABC’s and
cheering on your team,” said Jan Coe,
Orinda Union School District Finance
Advisory Committee member, as she
used the letters of her colleague’s
name to spell out accomplishments.
Susie Epstein and Linda Landau re-
called how Rudebusch always put
children first – whether volunteering
for the schools or on behalf of
Orinda’s Friends of the Library.
“We certainly known it takes a
village to raise a child,” mused OUSD
superintendent Dr. Joe Jaconette.
“The corollary is that it takes a village
to educate a child.” Sporting a baby
seal-adorned tie to remind all of
Rudebusch’s passion for rescuing ma-
rine mammals, Jaconette described
how OUSD benefitted from her serv-
ice on “a very, very productive gov-
erning team” during both flush and
lean times. Wading through stacks of
documents on weekends, she gave up
many evenings and prized vacation
time as “a skilled problem solver”
without any hidden agenda. “She
moderated with diplomacy, courtesy,
and poise” as she shepherded support
for math and literacy programs. Her
interactions with others always began
with, “’How can I help?’”
Four simple words sum up one
woman’s life. Four words which also
personify the spirit of Orinda.
Baby Steps for Potential Path Connector... continued from page A3
Because any proposed improve-
ments would involve three entities,
the cities of Lafayette and Walnut
Creek, along with part of unincorpo-
rated Contra Costa County, it be-
came clear that spelling out specifics
would help clarify the responsibili-
ties of each party.
At a recent city council meeting
a memorandum of understanding
was approved to cooperate with the
study, which will identify challenges
and help with long range plans for all
involved. The Olympic Corridor
Trail Connector Study will ultimately
recommend a range of improvements
to be implemented in phases, accord-
ing to John Cunningham, senior
transportation planner with the Con-
tra Costa County Department of
Conservation and Development.
On a sunny afternoon last Friday
Pat Rudebusch of Orinda, who hap-
pened to be walking with her daugh-
ter’s dog Maggie on the Lafayette
Moraga Trail, commented that any
future trail improvement that will
keep people healthy, walking and en-
joying the outdoors is “a good
thing.”
Stanley Student Wins CommunityService Project Contest... continued from page A3
The girls figured it was a win-win;
parents of fellow soccer players got
to clean shelves at home of gently
used books that they had already en-
joyed and then pass the books along
to underserved kids who could enjoy
them too, recycling and sharing
community resources.
Walner received a special procla-
mation from the mayor at a recent
city council meeting; she hobbled up
to the podium to accept the award
with a cast on one leg from, oddly
enough, a soccer injury. She and
Wells did it all on their own, ex-
plained proud dad Dan Walner, mo-
tivating their team and the entire
soccer club to donate children’s
books. All told, the girls collected
1,149 kids’ books. “The Oakland li-
brarians were thrilled,” said 14-year-
old Walner. The books were divided
between Oakland’s Allendale,
Brookfield and Lafayette elementary
schools. The Stanley Middle School
eighth grader is a member of the
Montclair Soccer Club; Wells, a res-
ident of Berkeley, is on her team.
The girls are among a total of
five Grand Prize winners from
across the country, beating out 65
other service project submissions.
The young winners and a parent or
guardian—Kate is going with her
mom—will receive an all-expense-
paid trip in May to Walt Disney
World in Florida and a role as a
youth leader at Special Olympics
Florida Summer Games.
Foudy is a pioneer in the world
of women’s soccer: she is the former
captain of the USA Women’s Soccer
team, two-time Olympic gold
medalist and two-time World Cup
Champion. The philosophy of the
leadership academy is simple –
sports and leadership. In her many
public speaking events, Foudy cred-
its Title IX, the landmark civil rights
ruling that required gender equality
for education and athletic programs
that receive federal funding, hence
the Stanford soccer scholarship that
put her on a path to soccer greatness.
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From Front Page
Menke purchased the hoops
himself and donated them to the
school, pitched the idea to Principal
Kirsten Theurer, and followed up
with a visit to each of Del Rey’s 20
classrooms.
“Raise your hand if you thought
you’d ever be a world record
holder,” he challenged.
Not one hand went up.
Theurer said the application
process “went like a roller coaster,”
with rules and regulations to follow,
affidavits to complete and officials to
recruit to oversee the event.
The students practiced their
routine for a month with PE
teacher Cheryl Collins, who cho-
reographed a five-minute workout
set to the song “Let’s Go.” Collins
even donated time during her days
off to include the kindergarten
classes, and Theurer said one fam-
ily re-booked a flight to Japan so
their student could participate.
Both Collins and Theurer were
pleased with a dress rehearsal held
on site March 22.
After the event, the hula hoops
were donated to a Bay Area char-
ity. Now the students must wait
for official word from Guinness
that they’re the new record hold-
ers. “It usually takes a few weeks,
after we submit all of the paper-
work and video footage,” Menke
said.
The online link for the currentlargest hula hoop workout is avail-able at www.guinnessworl-drecords.com/world-records/7000/largest-hula-hoop-workout.
Del Rey Hoops for Guinness WorldRecord ... continued from page A1
Spring into Sand Volleyball... continued from page A1
“The girls are eager to play, to prac-
tice and work on their game in
ways I haven’t seen before,” he ex-
plained. “The new surface and the
warm sun, the opportunity to play
often and touch the ball more and
the venue at Moraga Commons
have all seemed to contribute to a
new level of enthusiasm for volley-
ball.”
Sand volleyball is, without a
doubt, about fun. There’s no coach-
ing allowed from the sidelines, but
there’s plenty of cheering from team-
mates and the community that has
enthusiastically embraced this sport.
On April 18, Saint Mary’s (3-1)
takes on Pacific on their home court
at 4:30 p.m. SMC swept Pacific in
the first match-up earlier this sea-
son.
Photo Tod Fierner
Photo Tod Fierner
925-377-7711www.techmommy.com
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Give your computer aSpring cleaning!
Last year Rhiannon Herpol-
sheimer, a Lafayette acupunc-
turist and amateur gardener, bought
all her tomato plants at the Moraga
Gardens Farm, but this year, she will
have to wait a few additional weeks
to get her favorite heirlooms.
Plant sales at local community
gardens are perfect for those who are
looking for organic plants adapted to
the local soil and weather. But buying
local can be a problem when weather
is challenging—the Moraga Gardens
Farm had to postpone its annual sale
by a few weeks until March 30. To
compensate for the tardiness, new va-
rieties of vegetables and herbs have
been added, all tried and approved by
those who work the garden.
“Our plant sale will be slightly
later this spring than in past years, pri-
marily because of the unusually cold
weather we’ve experienced recently,”
says Gardens member Bobbie Pre-
ston. “By patiently awaiting our
plants, though, there are always huge
rewards for the buyer in that we not
only offer a diverse selection, but
we’ve chosen them precisely because
they do well in the Lamorinda area.”
Over 3,200 organic plants grown
without the use of chemicals and pes-
ticides will be offered.
All the plants offered for sale are
grown in the garden’s greenhouses;
the members are organized in teams
of transplanters, water crew, and vent-
ing, and take turns caring for the ten-
der plants as they emerge in the flats
and are transfer in their individual
pots.
In the greenhouses, the tempera-
ture is kept at around 80 degrees by
opening and closing vents. The Mor-
aga farm is known to local restaurants
and markets for its wide range of
tomatoes. “The San Marzano is the
best tomato for making paste and
sauce,” notes Preston. “Our selection
of cherry tomatoes includes two dif-
ferent reds, a blush red/yellow, a yel-
low and a green variety.”
Claire Curtin bought cherry
tomatoes there last year. “I planted
the tomatoes in a pot on the sunny
deck at my Walnut Creek office,” she
says. “As the tomatoes became ripe I
would harvest and leave them on the
desks of my co-workers who loved to
have a small tomato snack during the
day.” She says she will add herbs to
her selection this year.
As for Herpolsheimer, she is par-
tial to the Brandywine. “This is the
hardiest variety producing well late
into the season…. I was still making
salsa from the green ones that ripened
indoors in December!” she says.
Twenty different types of toma-
toes of all sizes, colors and tastes will
be offered, including rare heirlooms.
If you want to make your own
ratatouille from your garden, take a
look at the eggplants and peppers.
“Our eggplants were chosen to pro-
vide a choice of plants that do well in
Lamorinda and are used for different
cooking needs,” says Preston. “For
example, the Black Beauty and Ro-
tunda Bianca are great for casseroles
and eggplant parmesan, the Ping Ting
and the Japanese Long are perfect for
stir fry.”
The peppers will be ordered by
heat index, from the sweetest, like the
Green California Wonder all the way
to the knock-your-socks-off Thai, and
many in between. This year the farm
will include culinary herbs and catnip
– as a kitty treat. Sales tables will not
only have pictures of the vegetables
but suggestions for use and recipes.
Growing instructions will also be pro-
vided, such as spacing the plants,
pruning, watering and ‘hardening’ the
plants so they transfer well from the
warm greenhouses to your garden.
Moraga Gardens Farm is located
at 1370 Moraga Way, between the
Moraga Fire Station and School
Street. The sale will run from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. March 30, and continue on
Saturdays and Sundays from April 6-
21 at the same time. For more infor-
mation, visit
www.Moragagardensfarm.com.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 B1
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TABLE 24
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FREE FAMILY FUN WEEKEND Spend this Saturday and Sunday at Orinda Theatre Square! Enjoy a day of FREE family fun this Saturday from 2-5 pm, with bouncy house fun kicking off at noon. Then join us on Sunday at one of our comfortable dining options for Easter brunch or dinner with family. Think inside the Square.
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3468 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Suite B110 Lafayette, CA � 925-284-6150
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Grow Your Own Gourmet VeggiesBy Sophie Braccini
2012 plant sale at the Moraga Gardens Farm Photo Provided
School Garden CultivatesLearning from the Ground UpSpringhill Elementary School to hostplant saleBy Cathy Tyson
At times there seems to be a
disconnect with the parents
that this is just a fun add-on, “but
there are lessons on chemistry,
math, history that you just can’t get
in a classroom,” said Nanette Hef-
fernan, master gardener and pas-
sionate volunteer at the Springhill
Elementary School garden. She
points out the multiple raised beds,
where the kids calculate yield, and
get a lesson in fractions by dividing
up the space, kicking it up a notch
for the older students – they can do
the same thing with the colonial cir-
cular planting area.
The colonial garden is designed
to dovetail with the students’ cur-
riculum unit on early settlers, using
heirloom seedlings that were part of
the Native American diet. Got food
scraps? After lunch every school
day, Green Team kids take recycla-
ble food waste like banana peels
and sandwich crusts up to the com-
posting pile, which ultimately will
go back to feed the plants.
Because the spacious garden
backs up to Briones open space,
volunteer Kathy Hemmenway
comments, “We have a definite go-
pher problem,” along with birds
and squirrels that love to nibble.
Their solution: wire mesh framing
the base of the raised beds – and
strawberry plants in recycle cinder
block. With clustered picnic tables
and a curved presentation area,
along with a shed for tools and
equipment, and of course lots of
planting areas, the sunny, well-
drained site is an ideal outdoor
classroom.
The garden boasts a cornucopia
of plants from young kiwi trees
growing up a homemade rebar
teepee, sweet peas, tulips, herbs
and a unique edible retaining wall
composed of espaliered apple trees
featuring red delicious, fuji and
gala apples on different branches of
the same tree, along with a number
of raised beds waiting for
seedlings. An amazing feat consid-
ering the garden is only a few years
old – originally part of the school
property, but only recently through
a herculean parent effort trans-
formed into its current state.
... continued on page B2
Floral Arts FloristEach and every piece is special to us
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Mon-Fri 9:00am 5:30pm, Sat 9:00am 5:00pm
At age 12 (yes, 12!) with two
novels under her belt, aspiring
author Madeleine Singh is a young
literary force to be reckoned with. She
wrote her first novel, “Snowflakes in
Paradise,” when she was 11 years old.
Writing in between swim practice and
camp, Singh says the book took her
“the entire summer.”
“Snowflakes in Paradise” is about
a girl who goes to Mexico, where it
snows on her golden birthday, that
extra special day when someone turns
the age of her birth date. In the novel,
the protagonist turns 11 on the 11th.
Singh wrote her second novel,
“Solarman” over the course of a few
months. This story, inspired by her
swim team’s mascot, is about the leg-
end of Solarman, who falls from the
sun to the earth and makes a hole
upon impact, thus creating a swim-
ming pool. Singh found the legend in-
triguing, particularly because of what
it leaves out. She developed the short
legend into a full-length novel.
Writing “Solarman” was easier
than writing her first novel, she says,
because the story was already laid out
for her. However, what Singh finds
most exciting about writing is getting
to control the events. Reading is her
favorite hobby, but sometimes she
reads and wishes the plot would turn
out differently. “As an author, I get to
influence the story,” she says.
A former Burton Valley Elemen-
tary student, the Stanley Middle
School sixth-grader gave copies of
her books to her former teachers, and
was asked by the teachers and the
PTA to be a featured author at the
Burton Valley Elementary Book Fair.
She recently spoke at an assembly
and read a couple chapters from
“Snowflakes in Paradise” to all the
third- and fourth-grade classes.
Singh started writing in the fourth
grade, after a teacher gave her a cre-
ative writing assignment; when asked
to write only a few pages, she would
write over 20. Interestingly, writing is
one of her least favorite subjects, even
though she loves to write outside of
the classroom.
"In school they make us write the
same thing over and over, rewriting
rough drafts, instead of writing how
we want," she says. Singh prefers her
physical education and art classes. In
addition to being a burgeoning author,
she is an athlete and an artist. She de-
signed the covers for both her books,
which were self-published, and even
designed and created her own website.
Singh and her parents are cur-
rently editing her third novel, “Pals
with Paws,” about a make believe city
where unwanted stray dogs are put up
for adoption.
To learn more about Singh and
her books, visit
www.madeleinesingh.com.
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYB2
School Garden Cultivates Learning fromthe Ground Up... continued from page B1
It took a village to get the garden
off the ground, and continues to take
an army of volunteers to keep it run-
ning. Friend of a friend Kelly
Bradley helped with the installation
of the Burton Valley school garden,
and was brought in to assist the staff
and parent volunteers with the gar-
den set up, projects and maintenance.
Credit parent volunteers who donate
time on upkeep and organization,
along with supportive school admin-
istration and teachers who have em-
braced the many learning
opportunities the garden presents for
helping this garden grow.
Green Team volunteers compli-
mented Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and
a number of Eagle Scout projects for
additions like the very sturdy com-
posting bins, butterfly garden and
hand washing station. The garden
keeps on giving even after the regu-
lar school year; over the summer,
families can adopt one of the raised
beds to water and manage.
Springhill Principal Heather
Duncan credits the Parent Faculty
Club, and adult Green Team volun-
teers who are dedicated to getting the
garden off the ground. “They’ve
been incredibly supportive.” That,
coupled with hiring a professional
outdoor classroom aide to coordinate
with teachers and volunteers to bring
rigor and excitement, delivers an im-
portant lesson of sustainability to the
community, said Duncan. The gar-
den has been so successful, that it
was chosen by the Contra Costa
County Master Gardeners as one of
a handful of teaching gardens for
other schools that would like to start
a similar project.
To raise awareness and money
for the garden, Springhill Elemen-
tary School’s Green Team will hold
a plant sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 14 on the lower play-
ground of campus at 3301 Springhill
Road, Lafayette. Spring starter
plants will be on sale to raise money
to benefit the garden. Tomatoes,
eggplant, squash, melons, herbs,
peppers and more – some planted as
seeds by Springhill students – will be
supplemented with plants and gar-
dening supplies from Mt. Diablo
Nursery.
Parent volunteer Kendra Love-
less put together a website for online
ordering, which will accept orders
through April 1 at greenteam-
plantsale.gostorego.com. Plants that
are pre-purchased can be picked up
at the plant sale. There are a limited
number of “Springhill grown”
plants, so early orders are encour-
aged. In addition to plants for sale,
there will be gardening activities and
tips from master gardeners and re-
freshments provided by Pancoast
Pizza. All proceeds will support the
school garden learning center and
Springhill’s Green Team program.
Some of the Green Team volunteer moms pictured at the Springhill Garden, from left: Julie Roberts, MandyHughes, Nanette Heffernan, Kathy Hemmenway, Meg McAdam and Kendra Loveless Photo Cathy Tyson
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Young Author on a Writing Roll By Lian Walden
Featured author Madeleine Singh, 12, speaks to students at Burton ValleyElementary School during a recent book fair. Photo provided
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- Get a Jump on Geometry:A fun, hands on class for high school students
**** Warning – These classes might trick students into believing that math is fun ****
Classes taught by teacher & experienced
math instructor, Michael Adler
To enroll contact the Moraga Parks and
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or call (925) 888-7036
Want a great tutor
who is fun?
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The mission of Camp Kesem Berkeley is to create a student-run, costfree, weeklong summer camp for children in the Bay Area who have or havehad a parent with cancer. You can read more about us at: http://campkesem.org/berkeley.
WHAT: Make the Magic Dinner and Silent AuctionWHEN: Saturday April 27, 6pmWHERE: Moraga Country Club (1600 St. Andrews Dr)
Make the Magic is our single largest annual fundraiser. The evening willstart off with a silent auction and an award winning catered dinner.Campers and counselors will then share how Camp Kesem haschanged their lives. We will close the night with a dessert live auctionand an open dance floor.
To purchase a ticket and reserve your spot go to: http://campkesem.org/UCBMTM2013
Questions/comments please contact Kristen Curry at [email protected].
“MAKE THE MAGIC”DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 B3
Thank you forrecycling this paper. It
is printed on at least50% recycled materialand vegetable based
ink and should berecycled again.
Building a Life WhileHelping to Rebuild theWorldBy Laurie Snyder
From the time they set their
boots on the ground in
France through the wingtips they
wore out from the 1950s onward,
America’s greatest generation
helped save the world. They
somehow found the strength,
even after witnessing the worst of
World War II, to put aside their
differences for the greater good.
Robert Holt of Lamorinda is a
member of that generation. An
honest-to-god hero with a Bronze
Star and Purple Heart, his is the
story of the Americans who came
home, and then helped to rebuild
shattered and still developing na-
tions. His achievements are so
numerous that any chapter from
his autobiography would merit its
own full newspaper article.
Born in Ellsworth, Iowa to a
successful farmer, he attended
Iowa State University. While
there he met his future wife Avis
– at a football game. “We were in
love,” she says. “At that time, you
felt like you had to grab happi-
ness.”
Participation in ISU’s Reserve
Officers’ Training Corps eventu-
ally led to Holt’s appointment as
the non-commissioned officer
over seven other Army recruits.
He and Avis married in the fall of
1943; their first child, Renee, was
born in 1944 after Holt shipped
overseas. “We were assigned to
G-2, which is military tactics….
We operated at nighttime; we
kept our tanks hidden.”
And then, just before the Bat-
tle of the Bulge, their luck ran
out. As Germans shelled their
tank, Holt was blown free – out-
side onto what was left of the ve-
hicle. His buddies were killed; he
spent months moving from infir-
mary to bomb-besieged Paris to
Cheltenham Spa’s hospital, re-
covering from facial burns and
shrapnel wounds to the head, foot
and leg. He finished his tour in
Ireland, and headed home on
Thanksgiving, 1945. He arrived
at the same time as Avis’ brother
who had survived his own hell –
as a German prisoner of war.
Over the next 10 years, Holt and
Avis added son, Rand, and daugh-
ters, Robin and Michele, to their
family.
Holt returned to Iowa State in
1946, and switched majors to
chemical engineering. After grad-
uation, he became a process engi-
neer for Westvaco Chemical
Company in Newark, Calif., at a
salary of $271 per month. Like
many other veterans, he worked
hard, changing jobs and even
founding companies as better op-
portunities opened up.
And then in 1956, he made an
even bolder move which changed
the Holt family’s lives for good.
He landed a job with Permanente
Cement which, he explains, “was
the springboard for the enter-
prises that Henry J. Kaiser
founded” – aluminum, steel and
other companies, including
Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser was “a
sparkplug and leader,” says Holt.
In 1959, that sparkplug put
Holt in charge of finding raw ma-
terials to build a cement plant in
Hawaii. From there, Holt went on
to become the chief chemist for
Kaiser’s Cushenbury plant. After
helping that facility expand, he
was promoted to plant manager.
But it was in 1968 when life
really took off. Appointed as the
Far East production manager for
Kaiser’s International Division,
Holt headed for Okinawa. Avis,
Renee and Robin made the move
later. “I was managing director of
Jalaprathan Company and
Ryukyu Cement,” says Holt.
Oversight of additional plants
would follow as Kaiser extended
its reach.
Indonesia. Guam. Hong
Kong. New Guinea. Khartoum.
China. Holt hunted best practices
and oversaw operations and serv-
ices related to the manufacture of
materials for the bricks used to
line the equipment that made the
steel – which helped drive the
post-World War II economy. Sev-
eral facilities were so critical to
developing economies that they
were dedicated by heads of state.
For the Jalaprathan Company
of Bangkok, Holt visited an old
plant in Takli. “At that time they
had quarry workers using hand
drills and hanging from the side of
the mountain to drill and shoot the
limestone,” he says. He modern-
ized procedures with explosives to
“increase their production rapidly
and be cost efficient.” He also
troubleshot for the 1971 Cha-Am
plant opening near the King of
Thailand’s summer palace. Both
Holt and his wife have vivid mem-
ories of that facility’s dedication.
“The King and his entourage
arrived in the afternoon,” says
Holt. “The staff and I escorted the
King to the control room. I had
the starting switches festooned
with flowers. I asked the King to
press each switch in sequence
which started the huge ball mills
and the rest of the plant.” Later,
the King personally checked out
silos at the plant’s shipping canal
and housing near the seashore.
With success, Holt marched
up the executive ladder, as did the
Holt children. Grandchildren are
now blazing trails, too.
And yet, Bob and Avis Holt
are still just a couple of farm kids
at heart – wide-eyed and sincerely
grateful for their good fortune. “I
owe 90 percent to my wife – be-
cause she is so good to me,” he
smiles.
Having recently turned 90,
Holt will mark another milestone
with Avis this October as they
celebrate their 70th wedding an-
niversary. One has the sense that
they have only just begun.
Bob and Avis Holt of Lamorinda – nearly 70 years of love and adventure,and still counting. Photo Ohlen Alexander
At ManorCare, we recommend that patients who areplanning to have surgery visit a few post- acute rehabcenters prior to their hospitalization. These pre-
surgery visits can go a long way to reducing stress and anxiety before and during the timethat you spend in the hospital.
We would be pleased to assist you in arranging a visit to a ManorCare facility. Pleasecall one of our centers to schedule a tour or to ask questions. For patients who are unable tovisit or would prefer “pre-op counseling” in a physician’s office at the time of anappointment- we are happy to do that as well. We can meet with you in either location andexplain what you can expect from a post-acute rehab center. Further, ManorCare staff willbe glad to help you in determining your insurance coverage for rehabilitation services.
ManorCare’s post-acute care service is designed to improve your transition back to thecommunity. After surgery, illness, or injury, you want to get back to your life as quickly aspossible. ManorCare’s post-hospital centers are your best way home after a hospital stay.With complex medical and rehabilitation services delivered by a team of highly skilledprofessionals, the ManorCare team focuses on getting you home. ManorCare’s clinicalteams have demonstrated track records of success and a proven commitment to clinicalexcellence.
You can decide where you rehabilitate. We encourage you visit, to ask a lot of questions,to do your research, and to ask your physicians for their opinion. We are here to help;please feel free to ask any member of our team for assistance at any time.
Samira Davi, ManorCare, Nurse Liaison, 925- 270-8766Melissa Katz, ManorCare Rossmoor Parkway, 925-975-5000Imelda Martinez, ManorCare Tice Valley, 926- 906-0200
A leader in rehabilitation and skilled nursing
ManorCarePre-OpCounseling
For more information please visit www.manorcare.com. For a short video visit us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/hcrmanorcare
ManorCare Walnut Creek 1226 Rossmoor Parkway Walnut Creek, CA 94595, [email protected]
ManorCare Tice Valley 1975 Tice Valley BlvdWalnut Creek, CA 94595, [email protected]
Samira Davi is a Nurse Liaison forManorCare Health Services in WalnutCreek. Samira has over 10 years ofexperience working in health care inContra Costa County, which has gainedher a wide view of what is important tothe health care consumer. She will beposting common questions andcomments in each issue of the LamorindaWeekly. You are welcome to contactSamira directly at 925.270.8766
SamiraSays
Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYB4 Wednesday, March 27, 2013www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977
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“Table of Tears” Mosaic Bringsthe Marginalized into FocusBy Lou Fancher
If there’s an icon representing the
storied life of visual artist Donna
Fado Ivery, it would be made of
glass.
In 1994, the former United
Methodist minister was seated with
her family in front of a 200-pound
window affording a spectacular
view of Lake Tahoe. Ivery and her
husband, Hubert, were treating his
parents, visiting from the deep
South, to a $5.99 prime rib dinner
and their first-ever sighting of snow.
Their two children, Aisha and
Imani, both under the age of five,
were at the table, where water
glasses had been filled while they
prepared to order.
“I can still see the scattered ice
cubes and shards of glass,” Ivery
says, remembering in an interview
the moment after the too-small
screws at the top of the window
frame sprung free, releasing the
window.
Ivery’s head was crushed,
pinned to the table, until her hus-
band managed to haul the massive,
injurious panel away. But the dev-
astating contrecoup (multiple) con-
cussion was less easily removed.
Almost 20 years later, she is
transforming the shattered pieces of
her existence with art.
And in a four year project, in-
spired by watching mosaicist Jim
Wright lead a glass-cutting work-
shop with children, Ivery has crafted
a light-filled, love-laden vessel
where the broken become whole.
Her “Table of Tears,” a six-foot
diameter stained glass mosaic art
piece, is on display through Easter
at Orinda’s St. Mark’s United
Methodist Church. A stunning, or-
ganic, and profound frontispiece,
the table is serving as the corner-
stone for a series of sermons titled,
“Healing the Tears that Bind Us.”
There are no sharp corners on
the table, where a central sculpture
lifts curved, wave-like shards of or-
ange, red and yellow glass verti-
cally, resembling flames. Instead,
the seven lobes—shaped like tears,
or flower petals—inscribe a gentle
circular form. In each tear, Ivery has
placed faces representative of a peo-
ple or group she says Christian the-
ology has historically deemed
substandard.
Using the Bible to exclude the
deaf, African Americans, those with
mental illness, the GLBT, the left-
handed, women, and to excuse hav-
ing sent the Japanese to internment
camps, she says, is “intolerable.”
Division, when people “grab
sides and refuse to cross over,” must
be countered with active voices, she
suggests.
“And the Holy Spirit is the cen-
terpiece. Without it, the whole table
would crash. Look and learn: God
is a part of the drama pulling us all
together,” she says.
Coming from the words of a
charlatan, this is deception. Coming
from the mouth of a woman who
spent five years in rehabilitation and
16 years seeking relief for double
vision, chronic head pain, balance
issues, uncontrollable tremors, and
the inability to read more than one
magazine article per week, it’s
miraculous.
“Painting saved me. I couldn’t
speak, but I could paint my pain,”
she says. “I could say ‘Here is what
is in my way’ with color. In every
painting, I expressed honesty.”
And after each encounter with
oil and canvas, Ivery moved one
step closer to healing. Not healing
for her brain—which remains
wracked with pain and a fatigue
that, by afternoon, often leaves
her incoherent—but reparation of
her soul leading her to a gracious,
compassionate outlook.
“I can appear completely nor-
mal…for about two hours,” she
laughs. “But seriously, I had a dra-
matic healing two years ago and
could finally get off pharmaceuti-
cals and walk without a cane. I did
brain surgery with the angels. It was
amazing.”
She recognizes the humor in her
description, but speaks sincerely.
Because she can no longer stand
in front of a congregation and
preach messages of grace for the
marginalized, Ivery has established
Spirit Brush Arts, a home business.
Her one-of-a-kind, hand-painted
scarves and note cards offer tangible
objects for gift-giving aimed at re-
covery.
“I’ve had moments when I have
thought, ‘Where is the handle of
hope?’ I know that when everything
is cleaved, Jesus is the one that
walks that lonesome valley of suf-
fering with me,” she says.
It’s impossible to separate Ivery
from the sturdy, faith-filled founda-
tion she shares with her husband of
27 years, who became St. Mark’s
pastor on July 1, 2012.
And it’s impossible for her to
accept the judgment and condem-
nation loaded on the backs of the
people depicted in the “Table of
Tears.”
Admitting that she is a “rare
bird,” Ivery says she plans to con-
tinue relying on “the touchstones of
truth” to tell her story—and on
painting, to carry her beyond pain to
prayer and praise.
One of seven teardrops that together form the “Table of Tears.”Photo Donna Fado Ivery
Artist Donna Fado Ivery sits in front of the “Table of Tears” with husbandHubert Ivery, pastor at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Orinda.
Photo Jennifer Wake
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Two Local Students Headto National GeographicBee State Finals
Orinda Intermediate School
seventh-grader Samuel
SooHoo and Joaquin Moraga Inter-
mediate School sixth-grader Adriana
Derksen qualified to represent their
schools and participate at the state
level of the National Geographic
Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum
Creek, to be held April 5 in Sacra-
mento.
After winning their individual
school bee, the students took a qual-
ifying test, which they submitted to
the National Geographic Society.
More than 2,000 schools competed
this year, with only the top 109 stu-
dents in California advancing to the
state level. The top 10 students over-
all will advance to the final rounds.
The state winner will receive
$100, the “Complete National Geo-
graphic” on DVD, and a trip to
Washington, D.C. where he/she will
represent California in the national
finals at National Geographic head-
quarters May 20-22. The first-place
national winner will receive a
$25,000 college scholarship and life-
time membership in the society.
J. Wake
Adriana Derksen, Joaquin MoragaIntermediate School’s geographybee winner
Samuel SooHoo, Orinda Intermedi-ate School’s geography bee winner
Photos providedPrivate Sale!
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Contact us:Letters to the editor (max 350 words): [email protected] events/stories/pictures: [email protected], theater, community events: [email protected] news or business press releases: [email protected] stories/events: [email protected] interest stories/Community Service: [email protected]/Owners: Andy and Wendy Scheck;[email protected]@lamorindaweekly.comEditor: Lee Borrowman;[email protected] Editor: Jennifer Wake; [email protected]: 925-377-0977Wendy Scheck; [email protected]: 26,600 printed copies; delivered tohomes & businesses in Lamorinda.
Staff Writers:Sophie Braccini; [email protected] Tyson; [email protected] Snyder; [email protected] Dausman, [email protected] Editor: Caitlin [email protected] Coach: Cynthia Brian; [email protected]: Susie Iventosch; [email protected] Writers: Andrea A. Firth, ConradBassett, Moya Stone, Rosylyn Aragones Stenzel,Michael Sakoda, Symon Tryzna, Rebecca Eckland,Marissa Harnett, Lou Fancher, Nick Marnell, LianWalden, Barry Hunau (cartoonist)Photos: Tod Fierner, Ohlen Alexander, KevinNguyenLayout/Graphics: Andy Scheck, Jaya Griggs.Printed in CA.
Lamorinda Weekly,P.O. Box 6133, Moraga, CA 94570-6133 Phone: 925-377-0977; Fax: 1-800-690-8136;email: [email protected]
Lamorinda Weeklyis an independent publication, produced by and for the residents of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, CA
National Honors for ThreeOakland Strokes RowersSubmitted by Steve Johnson
USRowing recently announced
it’s Scholastic Honor Roll and
three Oakland Strokes Rowers made
the list. The US Rowing Scholastic
Honor Roll recognizes high school
seniors who have excelled in both ac-
ademics and rowing. Applicants must
be USRowing members, have rowed
or coxed at least one year, and suc-
cessfully competed at or above the
league or regional level. Elizabeth
Pate and Matthew Coupin, both of
Miramonte High School in Orinda
were among the 55 student athletes
designated. Caroline Carper who at-
tends Alameda High School was one
of 73 named in the Honorable Men-
tion category. This fall, Pate will row
on the women’s lightweight team at
Harvard University, Coupin will row
men’s heavyweight at MIT, and
Carper will cox at Brown University.
From left, Elizabeth Pate, Caroline Carper and Matthew Coupin. Photo Provided
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYB6
You’re Invited To Take a Photowith the Easter Bunny
So Bring Your Camera!
Saturday, March 30th 12:00 Noon to 3:00 p.m.
Easter Clowns Easter Fairy Balloon Art
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Visit us online at www.rheemvalley.net
(See stores for details. While supplies last)
Rheem Blvd. at Moraga Rd. in Moraga
Look for the event in the suite next door to Starbucks Coffee.
*With your Rheem Valley Shopping Centerreceipts totaling $25 or more OR go online towww.rheemvalley.net to print out the couponfor a FREE photo session with the Easter Bunny.
Easter Activities for EveryoneLafayette Rotary’s AnnualSpring Egg Roll
Easter Bunny Pics inMoraga
The Lafayette RotaryClub’s annual egg hunt,open to all childrenages 2-9, will startpromptly at 10 a.m.Saturday, March 30 atLafayette Plaza (cornerof Mt. Diablo Boule-vard and MoragaRoad) in Lafayette.The park lawn will becovered with candy forthe kids to put in theirbaskets – the youngestare always given extratime to get their share!The Bunny will be thereto take pictures with thekids.
Come take a photo with the Easter Bunny from noon to 3 p.m.Saturday, March 30 at Rheem Valley Shopping Center in Moraga– next to Starbucks Coffee. There will be Easter clowns, an EasterFairy and balloon art, too. The photo session is free with yourRheem Valley Shopping Center receipts totaling $25 or with acoupon available to print at www.rheemvalley.net.
Bunny BrunchLafayette Community Center Foundation’s annual Bunny Brunchand show will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Saturday, March30 in the Live Oak Room of the Lafayette Community Center, 500St. Mary’s Rd., Lafayette. The pancake breakfast runs from 11 to11:30 a.m. and the egg hunt begins at noon. Tickets are availableonline for $7 each through March 29 at www.lafayetterec.org, or$9 at the event.
Family Fun Day atTheatre SquareEnjoy a day of free family fun from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March30 at Orinda Theatre Square. Activities include: a bouncy house,rock climbing wall, face painting and even a photo booth to cap-ture the magic of the day! The bouncy house fun kicks off at noon.
Orinda Rotary AnnualSpring Egg Hunt
Last Supper Drama
Orinda Rotary’s AnnualSpring Egg Hunt will takeplace at 10:45 a.m. Saturday,March 30 in the Orinda Com-munity Center Park. This freeevent – a favorite for parentsof toddlers, kindergartnersand young children up to age7 only – will feature over1,000 eggs, 40-plus prizesand photos with “BigBunny.” Light refreshmentswill be available for the kids,along with coffee and pastriesfor the grown-ups. Plan to ar-rive early and be sure to bringa basket!
Cast members Paul Renno, Jacob White, Don Keebleand Dale Newcomb practice for a reenactment of theLast Supper with Jesus and the 12 disciples scheduledat 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at the Lafayette United
Methodist Church, 955 Moraga Rd., Lafayette. Theevent is free and open to the public. For more infor-mation, call (925) 284-4765 or [email protected].
“Big Bunny” at last year’s event Photo providedPhoto Doug Kohen
Photo provided
As Seen in Lamorinda...Tortoises Take Trek for Grassy TreatAlthough these good looking African SpurredTortoises usually call the Sahara desert home,Lorenzo Ruiz of Moraga brought 14-year-old Leoand 8-year-old Donny to the Moraga Commonsso they could stretch their legs and nibble somegrass. Along with girlfriend Courtney Daum, thetwo posed with the pets. Ruiz mentioned hisparents like these tortoises – a good thing sincethey’ll be taking care of the pair when the Cam-polindo junior presumably heads off to collegenext year. The species can live up to about 50years in captivity. The shelled boys were toolingaround at a surprisingly quick pace; Ruiz andDaum had to constantly wrangle them back tothe grass. C. Tyson
Photo Cathy Tyson
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 B7
Submit stories and story ideas to [email protected]
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“A Royal Affair”By Sophie Braccini
Something is glamorous in the
kingdom of Denmark. From that
country comes to Orinda April 5 a
story of intrigue and love on a back-
drop of factual 18th century history in
the film “A Royal Affair.”
Few Americans know the impor-
tance German doctor Johann
Friedrich Struensee had in the battle
between enlightenment and obscurity
in 18th century Europe. Struensee
(played by Mads Mikkelsen, “The
Hunt,” “Casino Royale”) was re-
cruited by progressive members of
the Danish Court to take care of King
Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard)
in 1770. The immature, libertine and
manic-depressive king was neither
the embodiment of a great monarch
nor a decent husband to the young
British princess Caroline Mathilda
(Alicia Vikander), who was married
to him at age 16.
Thanks to the trust he placed in
Struensee, a reader of Rousseau and
Voltaire who had himself written a
few pamphlets on freedom, the
monarch transformed into a progres-
sive king, infuriating the more conser-
vative amongst his court. Then, an
attraction between the queen and the
doctor materialized into a romance
that precipitated their demise.
The friendship between the king
and his doctor, with trust and manip-
ulation intertwined, adds spice to the
story. Danish star Mikkelsen is al-
most overshadowed by much less
known Følsgaard as the weak but
touching king.
Følsgaard’s portrayal is at times
frightening, at times charming, and
often unsettling. The movie is proba-
bly on its way to become an interna-
tional success; it was very well re-
ceived at the Berlin International Film
Festival, where Følsgaard won for
Best Actor (Nikolaj Arcel and Ras-
mus Heisterberg won for Best Script).
The young Swedish actress Alicia
Vikander gives a contemporary inter-
pretation of the life of the very young
queen – most of the story happens be-
fore she even turns 20 – who was
ready to embrace progressive ideas
and passionate love.
The historical element of the
movie should not be overlooked. The
list of reforms engaged by Struensee
during his short years at the top of the
Danish state is incredible, including
the abolition of torture, un-free labor
(corvée), the censorship of the press,
noble privileges, the slave trade in the
Danish colonies, the etiquette rules at
the Royal Court, and state funding of
unproductive manufacturers.
There was also an introduction of
a tax on gambling and luxury horses
to fund nursing, criminalization and
punishment of bribery, reorganization
of the judicial institutions to minimize
corruption, introduction of state-
owned grain storages to balance out
the grain price, assignment of farm-
land to peasants, reorganization and
reduction of the army, university re-
forms, reform of the state-owned
medical institutions. And all this was
done peacefully, without war or rev-
olution.
After Struensee’s demise, queen
dowager Juliana Maria and her con-
servative supporters who seized
power repelled most of these reforms,
but Frederick’s son re-enacted most
of them years later.
Director Nikolaj Arcel offers a
rendition of this true story, giving it
the shape and appeal of a romantic
drama.
“A Royal Affair” will be shown
for one week starting April 5 at the
Orinda Theatre as part of the Interna-
tional Film Showcase. For more in-
formation, visit
lamorindatheatres.com.
Photo provided
Google Goggles is a clever vi-
sion recognition app that can
analyze pictures taken with your
phone to give you some very useful
information. For example, travelers
use Google Goggles to take pictures
of anything written in a foreign lan-
guage and have it instantly translated.
This is very useful if you are in a for-
eign country trying to decipher a
menu, read a street sign, or under-
stand information in a museum or
store. Just take a picture and read the
translation. You can also take pictures
of any landmarks that interest you.
This app will not only identify the
landmark, it will give you details and
historical facts. This feature is terrific
for art lovers because Google Gog-
gles will identify the piece of art and
tell you all about the piece. Of course,
you don’t have to be an art lover or a
traveler to find a use for this app. For
example, if you take a picture of
someone’s business card, a contact
profile will be automatically created
in your phone’s database. You can
then add the information on the card
to your contacts. When shopping, you
can take a picture of a bar code and
instantly access a product search on
the web. Google’s vision recognition
technology makes this app very use-
ful for a wide variety of users and in-
numerable circumstances.
Alex Pawlakos enjoys bik-ing, weightlifting, and tutoring in hisspare time. He is a reporter on Ex-press Yourself!™ Teen Radio.
THE APP RAPBy Alex Pawlakos
App: Google Goggles, by Google Inc.
For: All smartphonesPrice: $1.99
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYB8
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Lamorinda Adult Respite Center(LARC) is Orinda's premier socialAdult Day Program for seniors withdementia. We offer exemplary careand stimulating activities Mondaythrough Friday from 11:00 a.m.until 3:00 p.m. We are looking forcaring, fun, enthusiastic volunteersto assist once or twice a monthwith our daily activities. Activitiesinclude, games, crafts, daily livemusical entertainment, exerciseand lunch! We seek to fosterdignity and self-worth in ourparticipants - and we laugh a lot!Come join the fun and helpenhance the lives of our localseniors. For more information, orto schedule a visit, please call BethMontgomery at 925-254-3465.
Volunteers needed
Technology Crosses the Line withLulu AppBy Youngjoo Ahn
With the recent boom of technology, the
way we buy products has changed.
Instead of going to a physical location, we
now have the option of ordering everything
from clothes to computer products to home
furniture online. Websites such as Yelp.com
offer invaluable services to compare different
restaurants and other businesses for optimal
quality. Applications like RedLaser and Price
Check from Amazon allow users to compare
prices for the cheapest buy.
The prevalent use of social media has in-
creased the potential for success and flop for
businesses, museums, and even movies.
Technology has enabled us to find the best
product in the least amount of time at the
lowest price. Why waste time in a terrible
restaurant when Yelp.com is telling you that
there’s a fantastic Italian restaurant down the
street? There are websites or apps for book
suggestions, clothing and style suggestions,
and even dating suggestions.
These websites may be incredibly help-
ful in everyday life, but when is technology
going a step too far? There have been online
dating websites like eHarmony or
Match.com, where one can create an online
persona and meet people through the web.
However, the app Lulu goes one alarming
step further by labeling men as one would
label and rate a business or a movie. The cat-
egories for ratings include attractiveness, in-
telligence, manners, and more – all
accompanied by a picture and basic informa-
tion, like relationship status gathered from
Facebook. Scarily enough, any guy who has
a Facebook account has automatically been
downloaded onto this program without any
prior permission.
“I didn’t even know my information was
a part of this app. I don’t understand how
they could just access my Facebook profile
like this,” one male student commented.
This app has disregarded the fact that
people deserve to be treated like people and
not objects that can be bought and sold. I un-
derstand the usefulness of comparing restau-
rants and different types of rugs, but
comparing people is a form of bullying.
Whatever happened to the connection that
people get from meeting face to face? This
app is creating rumors about people and
could possibly ruin relationships and reputa-
tions based on statements that may or may
not be true.
First impressions are very important and
have always been important, until now. Lulu
introduces a person based on what other peo-
ple think about them. With the simple search
of a first and last name, the opportunity for a
first impression is erased.
“Although I wouldn’t base my opinion
of an individual on a rating, Lulu takes away
the power of the first impression,” junior Ar-
ianna Tong said. “Because even though we're
taught not to judge people we've never talked
to or met, we can't help but base our opinions
off general opinions. It's human nature.”
On blog.onlulu.com, the makers of this
app state that finding love is complicated and
time consuming. This app would allow
women to narrow down their choices
quickly and efficiently, like scouring Ama-
zon.com for the best camera case. Love and
relationships should be built on personal
connections that have nothing to do with rat-
ings. Relationships should take time and ef-
fort. This app and apps like this will cause
nothing but idle speculation, gossip, and the
loss of personal connections.
The Lulu App takes away the element of
surprise and the excitement of a first meeting
with a male. How far will we allow technol-
ogy to invade our private spaces before say-
ing no? Humans are not simple products that
come with a bar code and a list of features.
How reliable is an app that chooses our
friends and lovers?
I rarely say this, but to me technology
has crossed the line.
Miramonte High junior, Youngjoo Ahn isthe Co-President of Club Be the Star YouAre!® and Host of the international teenradio show, Express Yourself!™
Teen Scene is YOUR voice. If you
have something to say or have writing
skills and want to be part of our Teen
Scene team, email our Teen Coach,
Cynthia Brian,
The opinions expressed in Teen Scene are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lamorinda Weekly.
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Moraga Rotary Team C Advancesto Odyssey of the Mind World FinalsSubmitted by Zhan Li
Every year the Moraga Rotary Club spon-
sors teams of all ages from local schools
to compete in Odyssey of the Mind, which is
designed to test creativity and intuition by giv-
ing teams open ended problems and challeng-
ing them to create unconventional solutions.
The Moraga Rotary Club Team C, a team
of eighth-graders from Joaquin Moraga Inter-
mediate School, successfully competed against
15 other teams and took second place in their
division for their problem, “ARTchitecture: The
Musical,” March 2 at the San Francisco Bay
Regional Tournament in Concord.
The competition consisted of two parts:
spontaneous and long-term. For a team to win
it must be fairly strong in both aspects. Teams
decided on a long-term problem in last October
and worked on their solutions, in this case an
eight-minute skit, until early March. The Spon-
taneous section requires the team to solve a sim-
ple problem on the spot without any prepara-
tion. They took first place in the spontaneous
portion of the regional competition by a large
margin, boosting the team to second place over-
all.
Reflecting on the competition, the team
coach, Omid Boozarpour, a junior at Cam-
polindo High School, stated: “Over the course
of the season we had some struggles, at one
point I wasn’t even sure that they [the kids]
were going to finish. But in the end they pulled
together and got the win.”
The second-place win qualified them for
the state tournament held last Saturday in Brent-
wood where the team won a top slot, and a
chance to compete at the World Finals held at
Michigan State University in May.
The team would like to thank the Moraga
Rotary Club for sponsoring them for many
years.
Moraga Rotary Club Team C members and coach, from left: Navid Boozarpour, Anshula Srivas-tava, Omid Boozarpour (coach), Meera Ramesh, Jake Oxendine, Maya Ramesh, Ming Qian,and Austen Li. Photo provided
In accordance with the provisions ofBusiness and Professions Code Section21706 there being unpaid charges forthe rental of mini- storage of AAAAARent-A-Space, Moraga, 455 MoragaRoad, Moraga, CA. (510) 727-0806 no-tice is hearby given that the propertystored therein will be sold March 29,2013 starting at 10:00 A. M. at AAAAARent-A-Space, Moraga, 455 MoragaRoad, Moraga, CA 94556. Any sum overand above costs of storage, advertising,and expenses of this sale will be re-funded when AAAAA Rent-A-Space iscontacted by owner (s) of stored prop-erty; otherwise the monies will beturned over to the Treasurer of ContraCosta County.The following is a brief description ofthe property to be sold:sofas, chairs, lamps, tables, mattresses,cartons, appliances, desks, general of-fice equipment, computers and suchother effects of the general householdand small business stored by or for thefollowing parties.
1. Mark V. Miller2. Vincent Rodirguez 3. Robert Foran
Public Notice
Odyssey of the Mind State ChampionsAdvance to the World Tournament Submitted by Beverley Sopak
Glorietta Elementary School's fifth-grade
Odyssey of the Mind team - Sarah In-
ouye, Sullivan Jordan, Caroline Kim, Leah
Sopak and Stephanie Wu, Coach Michael Kim
and Amy Inouye - took first place last Saturday
at the Odyssey of the Mind State tournament.
This follows their first place finish at the re-
gional competition. Their 15-gram, 8-inch tall
balsa wood structure supported 530 pounds,
traveled down a ramp and then moved to the
weight tester without being touched - all of this
incorporated and presented in a creative 8-
minute commercial. The team was judged on
weight held, creativity and ability to solve a sep-
arate spontaneous problem. The team will be
representing the state of California, Orinda and
Glorietta at the World Finals May 22-25 in
Michigan.
Photo provided
Easter Sunday is a great day for brunch and this sa-
vory bread pudding can be used as the main dish
along with fresh fruit and bacon or sausage on the side,
or as a side dish to accompany a roast, chicken, turkey
or ham. The idea for this recipe is the combination of
two different dishes I have enjoyed in recent years.
Though I had always thought of bread pudding as
a sweet dish with raisins, cinnamon and maybe a little
maple syrup, my friend, Carol, introduced me to a sa-
vory mushroom bread pudding she served as a dinner
side dish. It was marvelous! Then, I discovered a
spinach-artichoke bread pudding from Preservation
Bread & Wine in Geneva, Illinois. This one was topped
with browned feta cheese on top, and it, too, was di-
vine.
So, I thought, why not combine these two ideas and
that's how this spinach-mushroom-Gruyere bread pud-
ding came to be! I would suggest that you could use
your favorite cheese in this recipe. Gruyere happens to
be one of my favorites, but sharp white cheddar,
smoked gouda or even feta would be delicious! Also,
bite-sized pieces of canned or frozen artichoke heart
would be a great addition, and I would suggest roasting
them with the mushrooms, or even instead of mush-
rooms, if you prefer.
On another Easter note, a friend of mine sent me an
email indicating eggs could be hard-cooked by baking
them in the oven. I was skeptical, since we have always
boiled them, but decided to give it a try. Voila! It
worked. You simply place the raw eggs in your muffin
tin, one egg in each cup, and bake at 325 degrees for
25 to 30 minutes. None of them cracked either, as they
often do when boiling them in a pot! This might be a
good idea for Easter egg coloring this year!
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 B9
Easter IdeasBy Susie Iventosch
Susie Iventosch is the author of Tax Bites and Tasty Morsels, which can be found at
Across the Way in Moraga, www.amazon.com, and www.taxbites.net. Susie can be
reached at [email protected].
This recipe can be found on our website: www.lamorindaweekly.com. If you would
like to share your favorite recipe with Susie please contact her by email or call our office
at (925) 377-0977.
please...
...thanks
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Easter Spinach-Gruyere Bread PuddingINGREDIENTS8-10 medium sized cremini(or baby bella) mushrooms,sliced or quartered1-2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 teaspoon sea salt3-4 ounces fresh spinach,chopped in food processorto about 1 1/4 cups, packed1 large shallot, chopped 4 large eggs1 1/2 cups milk (or half & half)1 1/2 cups grated Gruyerecheese (1 cup inside and 1/2cup for sprinkling on top)Salt & pepper to tasteDash Worcestershire sauceDash nutmeg4 cups bite-sized cubes of French bread
DIRECTIONSCut or slice mushrooms and toss in just a little bit of olive oil and sea salt. Place on greased bakingsheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until beginning to brown and liquid isevaporated.
Meanwhile, chop about half of a 6-ounce bag of fresh spinach in your little food processor untilfinely chopped. Place spinach in a bowl along with eggs, shallots, mushrooms, milk, 1 cup of thegrated Gruyere, S&P, nutmeg and Worcestershire. Mix well.
Toss bread cubes into mixture and stir so that all of the bread is moistened by the egg mixture.Let sit for about 15 minutes for bread to start to absorb egg mixture. Pour into a greased 8x8 inchbaking dish (or a dish of comparable volume) and sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, and cheese is browned and bubbly on top. Serve warm.
Easter Brunch Spinach-Mushroom-Gruyere Savory Bread Pudding
Cooking eggs in the oven to a hard boiled stagePhotos Susie Iventosch
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Lynn’s Top Five All About the NewTax Law ProvisionsBy Lynn Ballou, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
If you are like me, every day you
come across something about the
newest tax laws. Between our federal
and state governments, on one level
or another, most of us got hit with a
few whammies. One or two alone
may not feel like such a big deal, but
when you add them all up, it can be a
bit overwhelming!
As you work with your tax advi-
sors this year, a big part of your work
together won’t be “just” preparing
your 2012 tax returns, but also think-
ing through how your 2013 tax return
might look very different and what
you need to do about changing your
withholding or estimated taxes so you
aren’t caught short next year. Here are
five points that deserve your attention
now:
1) It’s back to the future with pay-
roll taxes: say good-bye to the 2 per-
cent relief you saw for FICA
reductions. For employees, welcome
back to the full 6.2 percent FICA cost.
You know because you’ve already
seen the haircut hit your paycheck. If
you are self employed, be prepared to
pony up the extra when your first es-
timated taxes are due on April 15.
2) Whether you are an employee or
self-employed, your wages are also
going to be hit with an extra 0.09 per-
cent Medicare tax if you earn more
than $200,000 (single) and $250,000
(married filing jointly). IMPOR-
TANT: Be particularly alert if you
work two or more jobs because your
employers might not withhold
enough and you’ll need to pay the
extra when you file your return next
year. And if you are married, this is
really going to sneak up on you be-
cause as a married couple who may
individually not hit the threshold, fil-
ing jointly you easily can. Local well-
known CPA, Linda LaHonta, points
out, “There are two issues to note on
this tax. One, the tax applies to all
wages subject to the Medicare tax so
this is gross compensation before
401(k) contributions or other pre-tax
deductions. Two, for self-employed
people that normally get a deduction
for one-half of their self-employment
tax, they will not be allowed a deduc-
tion for any of this additional
Medicare tax.”
3) More tax fun comes at us with the
3.8 percent investment income surtax.
Not a simple calculation --- the IRS
rules on how to calculate this tax are
already 159 pages long! Grossly sim-
plified, you need to know that if your
income is greater than $200,000 if
you are single and $250,000 if you are
married, and some of that is from in-
vestments, you will most likely be
subject to the surtax. Collaborate
with your tax accountant and your
CFP® professional to figure out steps
you might be able to take to help min-
imize your exposure.
4) For Californians, Proposition 30
just passed in November and was
retroactive to January 2012 (I bet a lot
of voters missed that!) and increases
tax rates dramatically. The top rate
used to be 9.3 percent and now has in-
creased to 12.3 percent. If you are
making over one million per year,
then you get to pay another surtax of
1 percent, called the mental health
surcharge, making the top rate in Cal-
ifornia 13.3 percent. I guess that’s
both the good and the bad news,
right?
5) Any good news? If you own a
business, your firm can write off up
to $500,000 of depreciable assets in
one year under section 179 for 2012
and 2013 (the max was $125,000 in
2011). Congress’s intent? Stimulate
the economy by encouraging business
spending. And along similar lines,
The Research Tax Credit and Work
Opportunities Tax Credit were both
resurrected. The Work Opportunities
Tax Credit provides helpful tax credits
to those businesses who hire veterans
and those coming off government as-
sistance.
6) Okay, I’m cheating and tossing in
an extra bonus point! Phase outs! I
cannot skip this because it’s like a
sneaker wave and will affect many of
you because it’s not a surtax or out-
right rate increase--- instead it’s a po-
tential and possibly significant
reduction to your personal exemp-
tions and your itemized deductions.
Personal exemption phase outs and
itemized deduction phase outs start at
$250,000 for singles and $300,000 for
married couples. A few itemized de-
duction categories are exempt, but
you could lose as much as 80 percent
of those that aren’t. Yikes! Linda,
whose practice is in Lafayette says,
“Be careful if you are asked what
your marginal tax rate is. The phase
outs of the personal exemptions and
itemized deductions can increase the
actual tax rate that you are paying
along with all the new taxes. Your tax
bracket could be much higher than
you think.”
I can only sympathize with how
super busy you are. But I encourage
you to take the time to really familiar-
ize yourselves with these new laws
and discuss with your tax advisors
how they will affect you in your
unique individual situation, as this is
just a very tiny peek at a few provi-
sions. In future columns I’ll cover
more about the new tax laws and also
the new medical insurance exchange
in California and what it means to us
individually and as business owners.
Are we having fun yet?
Lynn Ballou is a CERTIFIED FINANCIALPLANNER™ professional and co-owner ofBallou Plum Wealth Advisors, LLC, aRegistered Investment Advisory (RIA) firmin Lafayette. Lynn is also a RegisteredPrincipal and Branch Manager with LPLFinancial (LPL). The opinions voiced in thismaterial are for general information onlyand not intended to provide specific adviceor recommendation for any individual.Financial Planning offered through BallouPlum Wealth Advisors, A RegisteredInvestment Advisor and a separate entity.Securities offered through LPL Financial,member FINRA/SIPC.
ART
The Moraga Art Gallery’s new
show, “Divine Inspiration,” includes
paintings of Saint Mary’s College by
resident artist Barbara Hudler Cella,
and stone and glass crochet beadwork
by guest artist Mona Bourell. The
show, which runs through June 1, will
include works by the gallery’s 14 res-
ident artists and several guest artists.
The gallery is located in the Rheem
Shopping Center, 522 Center Street,
Moraga. An opening reception will
take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday,
March 30. The show and reception are
free and open to the public. For more
information, visit www.moragaart-
gallery.com or call (925) 376-5407.
Saint Mary’s College Museum of
Art exhibition – Carnaval! Exhibits
include In Search of the Source: the
Nile and Beyond by Lockwood de
Forest; Ryan Reynolds: Landscape
Assembled; Keith and the California
Alps: paintings from the 1870s, ‘80s,
and ‘90s — through April 14, Wednes-
day through Sunday from 11 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. at Saint Mary’s College,
1928 Saint Mary’s Rd., Moraga. Cost:
$5 for adults; free for kids K-12. For
more info, call (925) 631-4379 or visit
www.stmarys-ca.edu/museum.
Join Valley Stitchers and Fiber Arts
Guild, "No Foolin'," to hear Susan
Heller discuss her various outstanding
quilted masks, and show how they are
an integral part of the spiritual lives of
the peoples she studies. Her inspiration
comes from the original masks of var-
ious ethnic groups of Africa and New
Guinea at 10 a.m. Monday, April 1 at
the Faith Lutheran Church, 50
Woodsworth Ln., Pleasant Hill. For
questions or info, please call Sheila
Rogstad at (925) 945-1338 or visit
quiltedbysusanheller.com.
Four members of the Lafayette
Gallery currently have their art
works on display in the conference
room at the Lafayette Chamber of
Commerce in downtown Lafayette,
100 Lafayette Circle. The artists are:
Susan Erickson, acrylics and mixed-
media collages, Warren Rice, photo-
graphs, Debby Koonce, oil paintings
and Marsha Ramp, oil paintings. For
info, call (925) 284-7404. This is an
ongoing, free exhibit, open to the pub-
lic, with no reservations needed. The
artwork is updated on a regular basis.
High school student artists in the
11th District are invited to submit an
original painting, drawing or other art
form for the Annual Congressional Art
Competition. One student’s work will
be selected by a judging panel of local
artists to hang in the U.S. Capitol
Building for one year along with stu-
dent artwork from across the country.
The winning student will also be flown
to Washington, D.C. in June for the
Annual Congressional Art Competition
reception. Artwork is due the week of
April 15. Artwork must be accompa-
nied by a Student Release Form. For
more information, please contact Adri-
enne Ursino at (925) 602-1880.
MUSIC
WCSA Lafayette Songwriters’
Competition. Come join the Lauras
for the inaugural Lafayette WCSA
Songwriters’ Competition! You do not
have to be a songwriter to attend this
event. The meetings are at 7 p.m. the
second Wednesday of each month at
81 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. Cost:
$5. For more info, contact Laura
Zucker by email at [email protected]
or visit www.westcoastsongwrit-
ers.org/become-a-member.
A free concert performed by the
members of the Contra Costa Per-
forming Arts Society opens with the
sextet for piano and woodwinds by
Chech composer Bohuslav Martinu,
followed by his Three Madrigals for
Violin and Viola. The program con-
cludes with Beethoven's String Quar-
tet in C Major at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,
April 9 at Mt. Diablo Unitarian Uni-
versalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane,
Walnut Creek. Classical instrumental
music. Free. For info, visit
www.ccpas.org
Bentley School will host its first an-
nual Jazz Festival in Lafayette at 7:00
p.m. Wednesday, April 20. The show
will open with performances from the
Bentley Jazz Master Class and the
Stanley School Jazz Messengers. The
festival also includes performances
from Bentley’s Director of Jazz Stud-
ies, Brian Pardo, who will be accom-
panied by his wife Lynn Ray, an
accomplished musician in the R&B
and Gospel communities. Well-known
Smooth Jazz artist and producer Ray
Obiedo will also take the stage. Spe-
cial guests and members of Santana,
including Pete Escovedo, Maceo
Parker, and Sheila E. will be backing
the musicians during the show. Tickets
will be sold at the door.
Embark on a musical journey
through Paris in the Walnut Creek
Library with versatile and popular vo-
calist Lorna K and her talented band of
accordion, bass, and guitar musicians at
7 p.m. Sunday, April 24, courtesy of the
Walnut Creek Foundation. Enjoy an
evening of French music in the style of
Edith Piaf. Lorna has an elaborate
repertoire of French standards and with
her combo she has enjoyed extensive
engagements in many San Francisco
night spots including Enrico’s, Café de
la Presse, House of Shields and Shang-
hai 1930. Come to listen to Lorna and
you will regret nothing. Free. Due to
space limitations, pre-registration is re-
quired at: http://tinyurl.com/chanson-
realiste-2013.
THEATER
The Performing Arts Department at
Saint Mary’s College will present "A
Lie of the Mind" by Sam Shepard as
their spring production April 24-27 at
7 p.m. and April 28 at 2 p.m. in
LeFevre Theatre, Saint Mary’s Col-
lege, 1928 St. Mary’s Rd. Tickets:
general $15; Seniors (65+) $12; non-
SMC students $12; Saint Mary’s Col-
lege community of faculty, staff and
students $8. For more info and reser-
vations call the Saint Mary’s College
Theatre Box Office at (925) 631-4670.
Tickets are also available online at
www.brownpapertickets.com.
DVC Drama presents Shake-
speare's Classic Richard III, directed
by Beth McBrien through April, 7321
Golf Club Rd, Pleasant Hill. For show
times and tickets call the Box Office at
(925) 687-4445 or visit www.dvc-
drama.net. Free parking for all per-
formances.
Last Supper Re-enactment. The
public is invited to a dramatic re-en-
actment of the Last Supper at 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 28 at the Lafayette
United Methodist Church, 955 Moraga
Rd. (See Easter Events listing page B6)
LECTURE & LITERATURE
Holden High School presents the
third in its Meet the Writer series fea-
turing poet, playwrite and essayist Ali-
son Luterman from 7 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, April 4 at the Orinda Com-
munity Church Fellowship Hall and
will include refreshments and an oppor-
tunity to talk with Luterman about her
poetry as well as her other literary and
performance work. Tickets: $10. For
reservations, call the school at (925)
254-0199 or email office@holden-
high.org. Mail checks to Holden High
School, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda, CA
94563. Tickets also available at the door.
KIDS, PARENTS & TEENS
The 2013 LPIE Science Expo is com-
ing to Stanley Middle School from
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March
27. Lafayette Partners in Education
(LPIE) will be sponsoring the 2013
Science Expo at Stanley Middle
School. The Expo, held bi-annually, of-
fers community members, parents, and
students of all ages the opportunity to
learn about the wonders of science, en-
gineering, and technology through in-
teractive exhibits from both exhibitors
and students. For an updated list of ex-
hibits, visit www.stanleypta.org/lpie-
science-expo.
Orinda Rotary’s Free Annual
Spring Egg Hunt will take place at
10:45 a.m. Saturday, March 30 in the
Orinda Community Center Park. (See
Easter Events listing page B6)
The Lafayette Rotary Club’s “An-
nual Egg Hunt” for children ages 2-
9 starting will start promptly at 10 a.m.
Saturday, March 30 at Lafayette Plaza
(corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and
Moraga Road). (See Easter Events list-
ing page B6)
Easter Bunny Pics in Moraga.
Come take a photo with the Easter
Bunny from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday,
March 30 at Rheem Valley Shopping
Center in Moraga – next to Starbucks
Coffee. (See Easter Events listing
page B6)
Bunny Brunch. Lafayette Commu-
nity Center Foundation’s annual
Bunny Brunch and show will be held
from 11 a.m. to 12:15 on Saturday,
March 30 in the Live Oak Room of the
Lafayette Community Center, 500 St.
Mary’s Rd in Lafayette. (See Easter
Events listing page B6)
Enjoy a day of free family fun at
Orinda Theatre Square from 2 to 5
p.m. Saturday, March 30 with the
bouncy house fun kicking off at noon.
Activities also include: a rock climb-
ing wall, face painting, live music,
pony rides with a petting zoo, and even
a photo booth! (See Easter Events list-
ing page B6)
The 8th Annual Lamorinda Idol au-
ditions are coming! Created and
sponsored by the Orinda Arts Council,
Lamorinda Idol is a singing competi-
tion open to kids K-12th grade as of
spring 2013 who either attend school
or reside in Orinda, Moraga and
Lafayette. Entries may be made by
soloists or groups. Auditions will be
held May 16 - 18, when finalists and
runners-up will be selected by a panel
of three judges. Registration for audi-
tions will be from April 1 - 30 at
www.orindaartscouncil.org. Finalists
will perform at Orinda Theatre Sun-
day, Sept. 8. Category winners will re-
ceive cash prizes, the Audience Award
winner will receive a special prize and
all finalists will receive gift certificates.
Springhill Elementary School’s
Green Team announces their second
annual Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. Sunday, April 14 on the
Springhill campus, 3301 Springhill
Rd. on the lower playground. A perfect
outing for the whole family! Online
orders are available through April 1 by
visiting greenteamplantsale.gos-
torego.com. Pre-purchased plants will
be available for pickup during the sale.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit
Springhill’s Green Team & Outdoor
Classroom. (See story page B2)
The Friends of the Orinda Library
is excited to announce the com-
mencement of 2013's Poul Anderson
Creative Writing Contest, open to all
students who reside and/or attend high
school in Orinda. Entry categories are:
Science Fiction, Essay/Memoir, Poetry
and Short Story. Students may submit
one entry in any of the four categories
for a total of not more than three en-
tries. Submission deadline is at noon
Friday, April 18. Up to four winners
will each be awarded $250 prizes. En-
tries should be submitted to individual
school representatives. For additional
info, visit www.friendsoftheorindali-
brary.org or email Julie Rossiter, at
Seedling's Preschool 15th Annual
Wheel Day! For kids who love any-
thing to do with wheels! The event
promises numerous vehicles including
construction, public safety, and public
transport vehicles for your viewing,
climbing and a horn honking good
time from 10 a.m. - noon Saturday,
April 20 at the Lafayette Orinda Pres-
byterian Church 49 Knox Dr,
Lafayette. Free. Please consider bring-
ing a non-perishable food item to be
donated to Monument Crisis Center.
OTHER
Hospice of the East Bay is seeking
volunteers to assist Hospice patients
and their caregivers. Opportunities in-
clude: Licensed Hair Stylists to offer
haircuts and styling, Certified Massage
Therapists to provide massage therapy,
mobile notaries to witness the signing
of important documents, bereavement
support volunteers to provide support
to family members after their loved
one has died, and patient support vol-
unteers to provide companionship and
practical assistance. To apply for free
training call Hospice of the East Bay
at (925) 887-5678, and ask for the vol-
unteer department, or email volun-
... continued on next page
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYB10
Not to be missed Not to be missed Not to be missed
Lamorinda’sReligious Services
49 Knox Drive l Lafayette l www.LOPC.org l 925-283-8722
Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church
Get connected.Grow in your faith.
Serve others.
Sunday Worship 9 & 11:00 a.m.Programs for children & youth
Please submit events to:calendar@lamorinda
weekly.com
The Orinda Community Church
10 Irwin Way, Orinda | 925.254.4906 | www.orindachurch.org“No matter who you are, wherever you are on life’s
journey, you are welcome here!”
Join us Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
St. Anselm’s Episcopal ChurchA Loving Community
Sunday Services: 8 and 10 AMIn-church Youth Zone, 10 AM Nursery Childcare
682 Michael Lane, Lafayette, 284-7420, www.stanselms.ws
Traditional Church Service & Music Yet Forward Looking & Open Minded
Sunday School & Eucharist at 9amSt. Mary's College Chapel
1928 St. Mary's Rd., Moraga925-376-5770 - www.stgiles-moraga.org
fàA Z|Äxá XÑ|ávÉÑtÄ V{âÜv{An Inclusive & Affirming Community
Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church 433 Moraga Way, Orinda, 254-3422
www.holyshepherd.org
8:15 a.m. Traditions Worship Service 9:40 a.m. Education for all ages
10:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service Coffee Fellowship at 9:15 and 11:45 a.m.
Childcare available for ages 5 and younger
ORINDA CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH 24 Orinda Way (next to the Library) - 254-4212
Sunday Service and Sunday School 10 - 11 amInformal Wednesday Meeting 7:30 - 8:30 pmReading Room/Bookstore M - F 11 - 4; Sat 10 - 1
www.christianscienceorinda.org
Lafayette United Methodist Church955 Moraga Rd., Lafayette,
284-4765, [email protected]
Informal Worship Friday 6 pm Mar 15, 22Worship Sunday 10 am Mar 17, 22Last Supper Drama Thursday 7 pm Mar 28
(a re-enactment)Stations of the Cross Friday 11:30 am & 5 pm Mar 29
(self-meditations) Easter Worship Sunday 8:30 & 10:30 am Mar 31
66 St. Stephen’s Drive, Orinda254-3770. www.ststephensorinda.org
Sunday 8am, 10am & 5:30p.m. Casual Eucharist
OTHER ... continued
Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian
Church will hold a candle lit Taize’
style Maundy service at 7 p.m. Thurs-
day, March 28. Communion will be
offered to those who desire it and the
opportunity for healing prayers will
be provided. Music will be in the
Taize’ style. Child care is provided in
the two-story building immediately to
the left of the Sanctuary. All are wel-
come.
First Friday Forum “Update on the
New Oakland/San Francisco Bay
Bridge” at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 5
in the Sanctuary of the Lafayette-
Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox
Drive, Lafayette. Victor Gauther,
communications associate and tour
program manager will provide infor-
mation on the current construction
site, which is the largest infrastructure
project in California history, as well
as on the history of the Bay Bridge.
Refreshments are served at 1 p.m. For
more info, call (925) 283-8722 or
click on LOPC.org.
The community of Canyon will
host a multi-agency wildfire meet-
ing from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April
10 at the Canyon Elementary School,
187 Pinehurst Road. The evening will
be an exploration of the challenges a
major wildfire would present to both
the fire agencies and the community.
The event will culminate with a dis-
cussion of ways all parties can work
together to create effective policies
and procedures to deal with the va-
garies of notification, evacuation, cars
and fire engines meeting on narrow
roads and so forth. For more info, call
Canyon Fire Council Coordinator
Jonathan Goodwin, (925) 376-4668
or email [email protected];
MOFD Fire Chief Randy Bradley,
(925) 258-4599 or
Wildlife Expert Gary Bogue will
discuss “Creatures of the Urban
Wilderness (your backyard)” at 9:30
a.m. Monday, April 15 at Lindsay
Wildlife Museum, 1931 First Avenue,
Walnut Creek. Bogue will discuss the
wild animals that live in and prowl,
fly, and slither around your backyard,
day and night—the coyotes, rac-
coons, skunks, opossums, owls,
hawks, hummingbirds, snakes, lizards
and other creatures that interact with
you and have become a part of your
life, often without you even knowing
they are there. Brunch event tickets:
$25. To purchase tickets, contact
Penny Adams at (925) 837-4046, P.O.
Box 562, Diablo, CA 94528, or call
the museum at (925) 935-1978.
Join Spring Leadership Summit in
an interactive presentation “A
Whole New Way: Leadership and
Engagement in the 21st Century”
from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April
16 at the Claeys Lounge, Saint
Mary's College Soda Center, 1928
St. Mary's Rd., Moraga. The summit
will examine how society thinks
about leadership and what is needed
to bring about the changes you care
about most, focusing on particular
challenges within the educational
system. This session will deal with
"a whole new way of leadership and
engagement" from a variety of van-
tage points in a collaborative effort
by the graduate programs of Saint
Mary's College- Graduate Leader-
ship, Graduate Education, Graduate
Business, and Graduate Kinesiology.
Orinda Action Day begins at 9
a.m. April 20 at the Library Plaza.
This is a time to lend a hand to help
beautify our city! Visit Orinda Ac-
tion Day at
www.orindafoundation.org. (See
article page A11)
Run, Walk, Jog...Eat, Dance,
Play...Help support children and
families affected by AIDS in Zim-
babwe! Get your family and friends
together for the 10th Annual JF Kap-
nek Trust Family Fun 5k/1k Run at
9 a.m. Sunday, April 21 at Mira-
monte High School. There will be an
African band, face painting, crafts
for kids, goodie bags for kids, prizes,
brunch, and a super cool T-shirt!
Visit Active.Com to register. Key-
word is: KAPNEK.
Lamorinda Adult Respite Center
(LARC) is looking for caring, fun,
enthusiastic volunteers to assist once
or twice a month. Activities include:
games, crafts, daily live musical en-
tertainment, lunch and exercise.
Come join the fun and help enhance
the lives of our local seniors. For
more info, or to schedule a visit,
please call Beth Montgomery at (925)
254-3465.
Stations of the Cross. The public is
invited to self-guided tours of "Jesus'
Journey to the Cross", a time of re-
flection and meditation for Easter,
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 7
p.m. March 29 at the Lafayette United
Methodist Church, 955 Moraga Rd.,
Lafayette. Children are welcome.
Free. For more info, call (925) 284-
4765 or email [email protected].
Spend a day with friends celebrat-
ing the Heart of the Home at the Mi-
ramonte Kitchen & Garden Tour from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 18.
Six unique and gorgeous kitchens and
gardens will be open for a self-guided
tour. Tickets: $35. Space is limited so
sign up early! Proceeds from the
events will have an immediate impact
on the quality of programs available
to all Miramonte students. Tickets are
available at Orinda Books, Orinda
Florist, McDonnell's Nursery and
Lazy K at Orchard Nursery.
Step into nature and history and
enjoy the 12th Annual
Wildlife/Earth Day Festival in sup-
port of the unique outdoor environ-
mental education programs for
Orinda children from 1 to 4 p.m. Sun-
day, April 21. Delightful adventures
include: pond explorations, live rap-
tors shown by Jenny Papka, electric
Volt and Leaf car test drives, delicious
food, music, crafts, games, nature
walks, and much more. There will be
an Earth Day tribute by Chester
Miner, Elder of the Cherokee Nation
and the Guest of the Day will be Gary
Bogue. The Friends of the Wagner
Ranch will conduct this free festive
program to celebrate and support en-
vironmental education and biodiver-
sity programs in the Nature Area. For
more info, visit www.fwrna.org.
Area residents who own classic cars
are invited to participate in the 5th
Annual Moraga Classic Car Show
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11 (as part
of the 2013 Moraga Community
Faire). The $30 registration fee in-
cludes an entry ribbon, lunch for two,
a commemorative photo, and a
chance for owners to display their
restoration work to the public. Prizes
will be awarded. The registration
deadline is May 1. The car show is
sponsored by 5A Rent a Space and
CVS Pharmacy. To register, visit
www.moragachamber.org/faire or
call (925) 247-4629.
Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue
Foundation's, Animals on Broad-
way will be Sunday, May 19, at the
Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek.
Kick off the event by joining the one-
mile fundraising Pet Walk. Pet Walk
begins at 10:30 a.m. sharp (registra-
tion is from 8:30 to 10 a.m.) After,
stay and enjoy an array of booths, mo-
bile adoptions, face painting, a Pet
Wellness Fair, Walnut Creek Police
K9 Unit demonstrations, live music,
and crafts for kids from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. For more info, visit www.arf.net.
CLUBS
Sons in Retirement Lamorinda
Branch 171 meets at 11 a.m. on the
first Wednesday monthly at Holy
Trinity Culture Center 1700 School
St. Moraga. Lunch at noon. The April
3 after-lunch speaker will be Leigh
Kjeldsen, Au.D. – a doctor of Audi-
ology with practices in Walnut Creek
and Concord. Leigh enjoys seeing pa-
tients of all ages. The youngest person
she has fit with hearing aids was 3
months old and the oldest was 101
years old. She will be speaking about
"Hearing Loss: Causes and Reme-
dies." For details and membership in-
formation, call Larry at (925)
631-9528 or Tom at (925) 376-7724.
Lafayette Garden Club will feature
“Tantalize Your Taste Buds---learn
to grow and cook delectable heirloom
vegetables and herbs” with Randall
Barnes of Orchard Nursery at 9:30
a.m. Thursday, April 11 at Our Sav-
ior’s Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol
Lane, Lafayette. Barnes has a bache-
lor’s degree in horticultural science
from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and
loves to cook his garden’s bounty. For
more info, email [email protected].
SENIORS
Join Lafayette Senior Services for
one of this upcoming event! Enjoy
afternoon dancing every Wednesday
and learn some great new dance
moves at the Lamorinda Dance Social
on the first Wednesday monthly. Pro-
fessional dancers Karen and Michael
will provide a dance lesson and live
DJ services, playing your favorites
and taking requests from 12:30 to 3
p.m. every Wednesday at the Live
Oak Room, Lafayette Community
Center. Cost: $2 members; $4 non-
members. For info, call (925) 284-
5050 to reserve a spot.
The Stroke Support Group of Con-
tra Costa County will hold its April
meeting in the Ball Auditorium at
from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 8 at
John Muir Medical Center- Walnut
Creek Campus, 1601 Ygnacio Valley
Road, Walnut Creek. The speaker will
be Richard Burns, stroke survivor, au-
thor and spokesperson for the Na-
tional Stroke Association who will
discuss "Hope-the Choice is Yours."
After the program, attendees will
break up into three coping groups:
stroke survivors without aphasia,
stroke survivors with aphasia, and
caregivers and families of stroke sur-
vivors -- each group led by a trained
professional. For more info about the
Stroke Support Group, contact Ann
Dzuna at (925) 376-6218. Meetings
are free and open to the public.
GARDEN
Once again, The City of Walnut
Creek and The Gardens at Heather
Farm are teaming up to present a free
workshop for our community. Dis-
covering a Sense of Place (Part II)
with Patrice Hanlon, GHF garden
manager and Susan Handjian, garden
consultant and coach builds on a suc-
cessful session in 2012. April 27 Ex-
plore Walnut Creek’s “Creek Walk.”
Each session includes activities or
walks to explore watersheds, plants,
animals and insects that live in our
area. Workshops can be taken individ-
ually or as a series. Pre-registration re-
quired. The Gardens at Heather Farm
is located at 1540 Marchbanks Dr.,
Walnut Creek.
The Ninth Annual Bringing Back
the Natives Garden Tour will take
place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday,
May 5. This free, award-winning tour
features 40 Alameda and Contra
Costa county gardens that are pesti-
cide-free, conserve water, provide
habitat for wildlife, and contain 60
percent or more native plants. This
self-drive tour showcases a variety of
gardens, from large parcels in the hills
to small lots in the flats. Native plant
sales and talks are offered at select
gardens. Space is limited and registra-
tion is required. This tour will fill; reg-
ister early to ensure a place.
Volunteers are needed. Please register
or volunteer at www.bringingback-
thenatives.net. For more info, contact
or call (510) 236-9558 between 9 a.m.
and 9 p.m.
SCHOOLS
Need money for college? The Con-
tra Costa Association of Realtors
Scholarship Foundation is offering
scholarships to residents of Central
Contra Costa County that have com-
pleted one year of full-time college,
completed courses with emphasis on
real estate, finance and/or business
and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If
you qualify, scholarship awards can
range from $1,500 to $2,500. For info
and applications visit www.ccarschol-
arship.com. Deadline is April 15.
POLITICAL GATHERINGS
Lamorinda Republican Women
Federated welcomes luncheon
speaker Lynne C. Leach business-
woman, former State Legislator, com-
munity activist and leader. For info
contact Elsie Euing at (925) 254-8617
Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
invites you to join your District II
County Supervisor Candace Ander-
sen for a Brown Bag Lunch at noon,
Wednesday, April 3 at the Lafayette
Chamber of Commerce, 100
Lafayette Circle, Conference Room.
For reservations, email
[email protected] or call
(925) 957-8860.
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 B11
Not to be missed Not to be missed Not to be missed
Political thrillers are always fun to watch but
in these times they can be a bit too realistic.
“Olympus Has Fallen” stars Gerald Butler
(“300,” “The Phantom of the Opera”) as Mike
Banning, a fallen, dishonored presidential secu-
rity guard who failed to save the first lady, por-
trayed by Ashley Judd. Jump forward 18 months
and the White House is under attack by a Korean
terrorist organization. Mike realizes he is the only
one who can save the president (Aaron Eckhart)
and his son Connor, played by Finley Jacobsen,
from this terrorist group lead by Kang, the very
talented actor Rick Yune (“Snow Falling on
Cedars,” “The Man with the Iron Fist”). Yune
delivers a great performance and moviegoers
will hate him from his first scene in the movie.
The cast is amazing and also includes Oscar
winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar
Baby”) as Speaker Trumball; Indie favorite and
Oscar winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”) as
Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan; and Oscar
nominee Angela Bassett (“What’s Love Got to
Do with It”) as Secret Service Director Lynn Ja-
cobs.
The best way to describe “Olympus Has
Fallen” is that it is an enjoyable Hollywood
blockbuster, but it should have been a lot more.
The script, co-written by newcomers Creighton
Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, has too many
off the wall one liners for me. What could have
been an intense, suspenseful thriller quickly
turned into an unsophisticated “Die Hard” film.
Director Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) should
have focused on the suspense. All in all, if you
want to see an action-packed film made without
much thought, then “Olympus Has Fallen” is for
you.
Derek Zemrak is a Film Critic, Film Producerand Founder of the California Independent FilmFestival. You can follow Derek on Twitter @zem-rak for the latest Hollywood news. Derek is thehost of Real to Reel on TRadioV.com live at 6 p.m.every Tuesday.
“Olympus Has Fallen”By Derek Zemrak
Photo courtesy FilmDistrict
Please submit events to:[email protected]
Hello Tiara Opens in Theatre Square
Orinda Theatre Square, Ste. 138
(925) 253-5050
hellotiara.com
Want your hair to be styled with unique accessories for
your next big event or party? The new Hello Tiara store
that opened this month in Theatre Square offers just that.
The jewelry and accessory boutique offers a complemen-
tary styling when you purchase merchandise. “We carry
a whole line of hair clips, brooches and other accessories,”
explains owner Sue Kim, “and we want to show people
different ways to wear and use them.” Kim is an Acalanes
graduate who studies fine arts at the San Francisco Acad-
emy of Arts. “I always loved artistic expression,” says the
young owner. She opened her first boutique with long time
friend Steve Kim in San Francisco. “We had a lot of foot
traffic there. People from all over the world helped us
gauge what they were really looking for,” she says, “but I
missed the family and happy vibe of Lamorinda, so we
looked for an opportunity to come back.” Kim says she’s
very happy to have found the space in Theatre Square, be-
tween Barbacoa and Living Lean. “We can really build
relationships with our customers here.” The partners im-
mediately joined the Chamber of Commerce and reached
out to schools to start supporting them. They are also of-
fering events for different age groups, such as birthday
parties and ‘girls-night-out’ parties where everyone leaves
with adorned hair or other styled jewelry. The jewelry and
accessories that contain crystals have a lifetime guarantee.
“If you lose a stone,” says Kim, “we’ll replace it.” She
says she shops in Europe and Korea for her merchandise
and that most of her pieces are hand-made by people she
visited.
Storyteller Finds a New Home
3506Mt. Diablo Blvd., Ste. E, Lafayette
(925) 284-3480
The place for children’s books in Lafayette will now be at
3506 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite E, the new location of Sto-
ryteller beginning the first part of April. “The space is
very well located for a lot of foot traffic and it is the right
size for us,” says Storyteller’s owner Linda Higham. “We
plan to continue our business as usual there.” Higham in-
dicated that the owner of the building on Lafayette Circle
had asked the bookstore to leave, but that she is happy to
have found a similarly sized space in a good location.
Suite E is located on the courtyard behind McCaulou's and
Whole Foods in a busy shopping center. Higham did not
know yet when the grand-opening celebration would be
scheduled. “It will take us one or two weeks to move,”
she says. Her current lease ends at the end of March.
Si Si Caffè Celebrates 15 years
910 Country Club Drive, Moraga
(925) 377-1908
Cathy Corsi, her daughter Cynthia Corsi and granddaugh-
ter Cara created a bright display at the beginning of the
month to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the beloved in-
dependent coffee shop in Moraga. The cafè, which
opened next to Cathy Corsi’s salon, was a natural exten-
sion. Over the years, Corsi has trained generations of local
high school kids as bartenders, she has expanded the range
of quality drinks and pastries offered and the café gradu-
ally became a ritual stop for many local groups and resi-
dents. One of the first spots for nearby elementary and
middle school kids to safely hang out, it is also a gathering
place for cyclists and senior groups. In spite of its tiny
size, Si Si Caffé has become one of Moraga’s iconic busi-
nesses, now managed by three generations of Corsi
women.
News from the three Chambers of Commerce
Lafayette
Chamber mixer at YogaWorks at 5:30 p.m. April 10, 1131
Locust Ave., 2nd Floor, in Walnut Creek.
Ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. April 11for Gomez and Associ-
ates, French for Fun, and Chalmers Fitness that share the
building at 3381, 3383 and 3385 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Come
celebrate the Renaissance and transformation of this lo-
cation with owners Carlos, Catherine Jolivet and Marilyn
Chalmers.
Moraga
General membership meeting starting at 7:30 a.m. Friday,
March 29 at the Hacienda de las Flores, 2100 Donald Dr.,
Moraga. A special agent from the FBI will be the guest
speaker discussing cyber fraud.
Orinda
Mirmamonte Parent’s Club Heart of the Home Kitchen
and Garden Tour of Orinda will feature six extraordinary
indoor and outdoor kitchens presented by the Miramonte
parents’ club from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18. For tickets
and information, visit www.miramonteparents.com.
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYB12
business briefs
If you have a business brief to share,please contact Sophie Braccini at
Shop locally whenever you can.Only your support of our
local businesses will keep them open!
Glass Art for the HomeBy Sophie Braccini
When thinking of glass art,
the first images that come
to mind are often vases, stained
glass or glass sculpture. What
Orinda resident Vivien Hart does is
a bit different: she makes home ac-
cents, or functional glass art, cre-
ated in her garage-workshop.
In her home, the mirror frames,
the accent tiles in her kitchen and
baths, the bathroom sinks, the
backsplash, the cabinets and
drawer knobs, even the range
hood, are made of artistically cre-
ated glass. Hart recently joined the
Association of Clay and Glass
Artists of California, and was ac-
cepted to the Palo Alto Clay and
Glass Festival where she will be
presenting her work to interior dec-
orators and homeowners in July.
Hart was trained as a social
worker and practiced for some
years before having her children.
Then, like many Lamorinda
women, she looked for a creative
outlet; in her case, something that
would incorporate her fascination
for light and colors. “I spent 10
years in Norway when I was a
child,” she remembers. “In the
eighth grade we were sent for a
week to a business and my choice
was a glass making plant. I was
fascinated by the material, how
heat changes the nature of glass
and how it can be transformed.”
This love of glass gave Hart the
idea for her new career.
In her garage workshop, Hart
recently worked on a series of cab-
inet knobs. “You start with a plain
sheet of glass that is colored by
using powders that are fused into
the glass,” explains Hart. She in-
stalled two different kilns in her
workshop where pieces are
processed, sometimes for hours.
“The knobs are then cut from the
sheet and the decorative/creative
process continues with layering
and fusion of different colors and
shapes to create the look I want.”
The knobs require five differ-
ent layers. Each color melts at a
different rate, so the pieces often
have to be fired multiple times.
“When I want to create three-di-
mensional pieces I fire the base at
a high temperature. I create the
structure that will go on top; then
fire the two together at low temper-
ature.” For the little knobs that dis-
play a 3D cluster of grapes, she
fired each grape separately then
fused the clusters onto the bases.
Hart can inlay motives or etch
shapes into tiles, as she did with
some green ginkgo tiles – the
shape of a leaf has been etched so
it looks like leaves have been fused
into the glass. She uses a mold to
create rounded shapes such as soap
holders or decorative bowls. “If
someone has a theme for the deco-
ration of their home, I can create
knobs, accent tiles for the floor,
backsplash, etched cabinet glass
and decorative bowls that will all
be a variation of their theme,” she
says.
Hart is now expending her pro-
duction by creating glass powder-
room sinks, using a crackling
technique she learned from Bob
Leatherbarrow in Canada. She is
also starting to experiment with
lighting fixtures.
“The investment to start was
quite significant,” she says, “but
the goal is to make this a sustain-
able business.”
One of Hart’s challenges is to
find the right venues to showcase
her work, since art galleries are not
the exact fit, and she is considering
joining the 2014 Lamorinda Home
Expo in January.
For more information, visit
www.glasshart.com.
Functional glass art by Vivien Hart Photos Sophie Braccini
Bathroom sinks
Glass knob with grapes
Lamorinda Weekly business articles are intendedto inform the community about local business
activities, not to endorse a particular company,product or service.
Flying A Named OrindaSmall Business of theYearBy Laurie Snyder
“Ineed to start timing my gas
purchases to when I’m here in
Orinda,” said Contra Costa County
Supervisor Candace Andersen before
a packed house at the Orinda Country
Club March 20. Andersen, one of sev-
eral dignitaries present for Orinda’s
State of the City Address, was also on
hand to honor Flying A Gas Station,
recipient of the 2013 Best Small Busi-
ness Award.
Founded by Allen Pennebaker
and his wife, owner-operators of
Orinda Motors since 1996, Flying A
has achieved a devoted following by
offering low gas prices, hand car wash
and detailing, and “old time customer
service” – fuel pumped by attendants
who also squeegee windshields
(www.orindaautodetail.com/flying-a-
gasoline).
In their nearly two decades of
civic engagement, the Pennebakers
have also spearheaded or sponsored
numerous community events, includ-
ing Orinda’s annual Fourth of July
celebration, the Orinda Classic Car
Show, and the Orinda Baseball Asso-
ciation’s annual Opening Day.
“This is a great community to
do business in,” observed the
Orinda native and Miramonte High
School graduate in accepting the
award. Pennebaker acknowledged
his management staff individually
in front of roughly 100 business
professionals, city officials, and
representatives of the offices of
Congressman George Miller and
state legislators Joan Buchanan and
Mark DeSaulnier.
The event was presented by the
Orinda Chamber of Commerce and
the Rotary Club of Orinda.
Allen Pennebaker Photo Andy Scheck
Sue Kim styles young Annabelle's hair with a comb andhair pins, while Kate and Hunter Welch observe.
Photo Mina Lucacher
The Campolindo boys’ basket-
ball team’s season appeared to
be over, but the Cougars got a second
chance and made the most of it. De-
spite losing an NCS playoff game to
San Marin, Campolindo (22-9) qual-
ified for the CIF tournament when
Bishop O’Dowd was moved to the
open division.
“The night of our loss to San
Marin, Coach Watson texted me,
telling me there was still a chance we
would make the tournament,” said
Cougars’ senior guard Jack Evans.
“We focused on staying alive.”
Surprising everyone but them-
selves, they made a run all the way to
the Nor Cal Finals before falling to
Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Senior guard Matt McCue was
excited to get the news. “We had one
more chance to redeem ourselves,” he
explained, “[to] show everyone how
good we truly were.”
It was a great reward for an even
better season. After opening the sea-
son with a series of tough road games,
the Cougars sat with a losing record,
dropping games to Cardinal New-
man, Montgomery and Granite Bay.
Campo responded to the rocky
start going 15-2, stringing together
three five-game winning streaks.
“One of our greatest wins was our
second game against Las Lomas at
home,” Evans said. “We used that
game to remind ourselves of the kind
of basketball we needed to play to win
games.”
In the waning weeks of the regu-
lar season, Campo suffered two
straight losses, including a heart-
breaker at league rival Miramonte,
but they closed DFAL play with a 3-
0 burst.
In a season of winning streaks,
the Cougars were prepared to go on
another streak in the playoffs.
They stormed into the CIF Tour-
nament, winning three straight road
games— at Burlingame, an overtime
thriller at El Cerrito, and at Enterprise,
becoming only the second team in
school history to reach the Northern
California Championship game (the
2005 team reached the mark).
The Cougars rolled into No. 2 El
Cerrito’s house with confidence, and
pulled out a tremendous 69-65 win.
“I’ll never forget Walter Brennan hit-
ting an NBA range three to put us into
overtime against El Cerrito,” McCue
commented.
The Cougars lost an overtime
heartbreaker 55-52 in the Nor Cal Fi-
nals of the CIF Tournament to Sacred
Heart Cathedral on March 16. Evans
hit four three-pointers including a
clutch basket with 44.1 seconds left in
regulation to lead the Cougars, but it
wasn’t enough to propel them to the
school’s first State Finals appearance.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what
these guys accomplished this season.
They did a hell of a job,” said head
coach Matt Watson after the game.
Watson was proud of his seniors’
effort. “Matt McCue, he’s a freaking
stud. The kid’s five nine, a buck fifty,
and all heart,” he said. “Jack Evans is
an incredible senior leader. He
knocked down some big shots
tonight, made some great plays, got
some big defensives stops. (Our) sen-
iors are going to be missed tremen-
dously.”
The Cougars lose four players to
graduation this year—Evans, McCue,
and forwards Tyler Garrison and John
Schmitz—but the future looks bright,
as they return four starters, sopho-
mores Chris Hansen and Matt
O’Reilly, and juniors Justin Dunn and
Andrew Zolitakis.
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Down to the WireBy Caitlin Graveson
Saint Mary’s men’s basketball program has
won its share of thrillers this season but
could not repeat the magic in the second
round of the NCAA tournament. In a match-
up against No. 6 Memphis on March 21, the
No. 11 Gaels fell 54-52, ending their season
28-7.
Saint Mary’s trailed by five with about
three seconds remaining when sophomore
forward Eividas Petrulis hit a three-pointer.
The Gaels forced a Memphis turnover with
1.9 seconds to play. On the in-bound, senior
guard Matthew Dellavedova put up a poten-
tial game-winning three, but it was long.
Dellavedova hit a game-tying three
against USD and a game-winner against BYU
this season.
After the game, sophomore forward Brad
Waldow, who had a game-high 17 points,
spoke of Dellavedova’s last game. “He's just
a great person like all around,” he said. “He
taught me how to be like a winner on and off
the court and a great role model, great per-
son.”
Dellavedova has the school record for
most points, three-pointers, assists, and high-
est free-throw percentage.
Saint Mary’s qualified for the NCAA tour-
nament by winning the play-in game. The
Gaels were pitted against Middle Tennessee
State on March 19. Led by Dellavedova, the
Gaels cruised to a comfortable 67-54 win over
MTSU. Dellavedova had 22 points. Junior
guard Stephen Holt contributed 18 and junior
forward Beau Levesque added 13 points for
SMC. Matthew Dellavedova Photo Tod Fierner
Riding the Win-StreakBy Michael Sakoda
Matt McCue Photo Kevin Nguyen
FOR REGISTRATION FORMS, CONTACT:925/280‐3950 x‐5163, [email protected]
or download registration form at campofootball.com
DATES: July 8 thru July 19 (M – F)TIMES: 1:30 – 5:00 P.M.FEES: $320 (T‐shirt included)
EST. 1996
Baseball Rivals Faced-Off Last Week
Junior outfielder Cody Kiriaze beats the throw in Campolindo's 2-1 loss to Acalanes on March 19. Campobounced back to beat Miramonte 3-1 on March 21. The Cougars are 4-3 this season, while the Dons are 5-4.
Photos Ohlen Alexander
Miramonte baseball is off to a 4-3-1 start.
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYC2
SMC Rugby Takes on ItalySubmitted by Tony Samaniego
Saint Mary's finished its Cali-
fornia Conference match play
with a perfect 7-0 record. The
Gaels closed out their season with
a 48-24 win over San Diego State
on March 16. The Gaels left on
March 20 for a 10-day tour of
Italy, where they played matches
in Parma, Padova and Florence.
The Gaels take on Central Wash-
ington University on April 6 and then
Cal on April 13.
Junior Garrett Brewer breaks SDSU tackle Photo Mike Geib
Magic takes on MagicSubmitted by Greg Davis
The California Magic U13 girls’
team split into two teams for
the Diablo Valley Futsal League U14
division. Futsal is a fast-paced soccer
game played indoors.
In the championship game, the
Magic Green faced the Magic Blue on
March 16. Magic Blue prevailed 6-4;
however, Magic Green was quick to
add that it was missing three players.
Front row, from left: Emily Smith, Molly Davis, Molly Ikeya, Mia Grillo, Saman-tha DeVecchi; back row: Jackie Nichols, Keeley Murphy, Kierra Krawec, RachelBrickman, Isabel Hough, Annie Midthun, Kate Minden, Kaitlin DeVries; Notpictured: Anya Li, Vanessa Vaisnor, Lauren Van Stralen, Holland McDonald
Photo provided
Continuing to WinSubmitted by Jose Pena
Back row, from left: Patrick McGaughey, Tom McGuire, Jamiel Liu, Nick Mc-Gaughey, Casey Linden, Matt Scully; front row: Braden Maher, David Pena,Declan Bhagwat, Nicholas Faoro Photo provided
St. Monica’s fifth grade National
team closed out a successful season
by winning the 2013 CYO Tournament
of Champions at Heritage High School
in Brentwood on March 9. The team
only lost one game during the season.
Oakland Strokes Hosts Back-to-Back RegattasSubmitted by Melissa Coupin
The west coast’s best junior crew
teams competed on the Oakland
estuary in two early season regattas at
the Faultline Face Off hosted by the
Oakland Strokes on March 2-3. North-
ern California teams just edged out
southern California team wins, 12-11.
The closest race of the weekend
was between the Oakland Strokes
Varsity girls 8+ and Marin. As the
boats neared the finish line the lead
changed hands with every stroke, but
in the end, Marin eked past the
Strokes by one-tenth of a second.
When asked about the level of
competition, varsity boys’ head coach
Jason Hilton was excited about the
event. “The races went exceptionally
well. The region is looking extremely
fast this season,” he said.
Oakland Strokes Girls Light-
weight 8+ beat Los Gatos by over five
seconds to claim one of the Strokes
three final’s wins.
On March 10, the Strokes hosted
the Battle of the Bay regatta.
Marin took 16 races to Oakland’s
7. Oakland’s wins came predomi-
nantly in Novice and Freshman boats.
Oakland Stroke Girls Varsity 8+ (foreground) battle Marin down the stretch. Marinfinished .1 seconds ahead in a race nearly too close to call. Photo Laura Cvitanovic
Water Polo DaySubmitted by Linda Lim
The Campolindo girls’ varsity water polo team was
honored by the Moraga Town Council for its suc-
cessful season by getting Feb. 13 declared 2012 Cam-
polindo Girls Varsity Water Polo Day. They won the
DFAL title, the NorCal Water Polo Championship, and
the NCS Division II Championship.
Front row, from left: Brooke Presten, Marley Thuma, Cessie Nishimi, Allison Stevens, Anya Morrill, Hannah Buck,Rachael Lewin, Dennae Wieczynski; second row: Assistant Coach Cat von Schwarz-Arroyo, Sarah Rasmussen,Christina Faoro, Sam Flower, Bailey Moran, Madison Tagg, Annika Jensen, Natalie Seidemann, Vice Mayor KenChew; back row: Mayor Dave Trotter, Council Member Roger Wykle, Council Member Michael Metcalf, CouncilMember Phil Arth, Head Coach Kim Everist, Campolindo High School Principal John Walker. Photo provided
Sweet Sixteen for the Gaels in WNITBy Caitlin Graveson
For the past four seasons, Saint
Mary’s women’s basketball
qualified for the WNIT and they
have improved in post-season play
each year, including this year—
they have reached the Sweet Six-
teen.
The Gaels beat Seattle Univer-
sity 68-51 at home on March 21,
before advancing to take on North-
ern Colorado on March 23.
The Gaels (22-10) came out
slow against the Bears, falling be-
hind 10 early. Saint Mary’s rallied
to finish the first half to cut the
deficit, 27-30. Their momentum
carried to the second half and they
completed a 26-4 run to build a
46-34 lead. The Bears made a late-
game push, but the Gaels held on
to win 68-58.
Senior guard Morgan Hatten
had a career-high to lead the Gaels
with 21 points in the win. Junior
guard Jackie Nared finished with
a double-double adding 16 points
and 10 rebounds.
With the win, the Gaels will
face WCC-rival BYU in the Sweet
16 in Provo today, March 27.
Morgan Hatten had a career night against the Bears. Photo Tod Fierner
Spring Sports Rivalry Week
Acalanes boasts a 7-2 record, including a 7-3 win againstCampolindo.
Campolindo (3-3) defeated Miramonte 7-0 on March 21.Photos Ohlen Alexander
Campo suffered a tough 8-7 loss to Miramonte on March 15. They have a 4-4 record. Photo Ohlen Alexander
Miramonte (4-3) beat Campo (2-6) 10-7 on March 15. Photo Ohlen Alexander
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 C3
Submit stories to [email protected](we prefer to receive your original photo file, minimum size:
200 dpi and 1200 pixels wide)
Karate Kids Take Home MedalsSubmitted by Thomas Westernoff
The Karate & Fitness Place USA has some
Olympic hopefuls in the making. Seven
Lamorinda athletes from KFPUSA returned
home from the West Coast Karate Championships
(a USA Karate sanctioned event) held in Yuba
City on Feb. 24, bringing with them nine medals.
Edward Chen Bronze KobudoVictor Chen Bronze KataZack Yu Silver Kata, KumiteAlex Yu Gold Kata
Jared Avenell Gold, Bronze Kata, KobudoBrent Avenell Gold, Bronze Kata, KumiteLeo Ding Participation
Former Mat Earns All-ConferenceHonorsSubmitted by Kelcey Zutavern
Alyssa Johanson, alumni of
Miramonte and a sopho-
more guard at Washington Uni-
versity in St. Louis was selected
to the 2012-13 All-University
Athletic Association (UAA)
second team for women’s bas-
ketball.
Johanson received her first-
career all-UAA honors. She
ranked second on the team av-
eraging 8.9 points per game and
scored in double figures eight
times during the season. Johan-
son scored a career-high 19
points against Southwestern on
Dec. 30, and again Jan. 11 in the
Bears’ 56-53 overtime win at
Emory University. She also
leads the team with a .917 free-
throw percentage (44-of-48),
and ranks fourth with 39 assists.
Alyssa Johanson Photo provided
Photo provided
LMYA ChampionsSubmitted by Chris Easter
The sixth-eighth grade girls LMYA Ohio
State Buckeyes are the LMYA champi-
ons. It wasn’t easy as the Kentucky Wildcats put
up a tough fight in the championship game.
Still, the Buckeyes pulled out the win to earn
the championship and remain undefeated.
Bottom row, from left: Maddie Low, Lindsay Easter, Emilie Malinovksy; top row: Maddie Turner,Cate Goodman, Sarah McCandless, Lauren Craig, Kendal Wenger.
St. Perpetua’s East Diocese ChampionsSubmitted by Meredith Meade
The St. Perpetua fourth grade girls’ Amer-
ican team beat a tough St. Monica's op-
ponent 26-18 on March 9 in the finals of the
Oakland East Diocese Championship. Coached
by Dan Meade, Steve Haggerty and Jim Geb-
hardt, the Panthers used tough defense, basket-
ball smarts and team chemistry to finish their
season on a seven-game winning streak.
Front row, from left: Grace Gephardt, Evan Mirabella, Julia Haggerty, Morgan Coolbaugh, ErinMeade, Madison Rogers, Jojo Flower, Mia Mastrov and Claire Rowell; back row: Jim Gephardt,Steve Haggerty and Dan Meade. Photo provided
Second Place in Spring ShowcaseSubmitted by Chris Easter
Top row, from left: Lindsay Easter, Jadey Sadoff, Hannah Fishlow, Cecilia Gee, Olivia Fishlow,Tova Ricardo, Brianna Donat, coach Alex Sanchez; bottom row: Maggie Maguire, Emma Nushi,Katharine Larson, Caroline Clark, Adriana Uyehara, Jessica Carlin and Greta Kohls; not pictured:Rosie Cruz, Morgan Rogers, Mia Lineweaver, and Katie Tuemmler. Photro provided
The Lamorinda United U14 girls finished
with the second highest point total out of
the 10 teams in the Platinum Division of The
Northern California Spring Showcase tourna-
ment.
In the first match against American River,
the game ended in a 0-0 tie. The Saturday af-
ternoon match, against rival Walnut Creek Ex-
plosion, was tough. The Explosion struck first
before Emma Nushi found the back of the net
with the first of her two tournament goals. Wal-
nut Creek broke the tie late in the second half to
take 2-1 lead. On the very last possession of the
game, Jadey Sadoff launched a ball into the cor-
ner of the goal to give Lamorinda a thrilling last
second tie. On Sunday, against the West Coast
Wonder, the United fought to a 2-to-2 tie.
In the consolation game against the Sacra-
mento Extreme, goalkeeper Adriana Uyehara
was able to preserve a 2-1 victory.
Dive Right InSubmitted by Steve Sherman
Four Sherman Swim
School divers traveled
to Beaverton March 7-9 to
compete in a qualifying
meet for the West Nationals.
Audry Lungren
(Lafayette) competed in the
12-13 Girls 1-meter and 3-
meter, finishing ninth and
11th, respectively. Brenna
Certrone (Orinda) finished
17th in the 1-meter and 21st
in the 3-meter in the 14-15
Girls division. Miranda
Gold (Lafayette) and Mor-
gan Matranga (Moraga) par-
ticipated in the 16-18 Girls
division. Gold finished 34th
in the 1-meter and 28th in
the 3-meter. Matranga fin-
ished 24th and 26th in the -1
and 3-meter, respectively. Audrey Lundgren, Fwd 1&1half pike Photo provided
Miramonte Lax Breaks Even Submitted by Susan Forman
Miramonte boys’ varsity lacrosse had two
tough matches last week. On March 19,
they faced off against Las Lomas. Seven min-
utes into the game Miramonte's freshman Cole-
man Fine scored the first goal of a high-scoring
game. The Mats won 12-8.
Miramonte took on Marin Academy March
22. In the third quarter, the Mats had a 7-5 lead,
but Marin went on a run, scoring three unan-
swered goal on their way to an 11-10 win.
March 19 box score:
John Pugliesi (3 goals)
Joey Forman (2)
Fine (2)
Connor Gallegos (1)
Nick Sheehan (1)
Patrick Swan (1)
Miramonte Goalie: Paden Hugener 13 saves
March 22 box score:
Jack Murphy (3 goals)
Nick Sheehan (3)
Griffin Schram (3)
John Pugliesi (1)
Miramonte players defend their goal: #20 Josh Chen; #25 Matt Moran; #35 Gianni Fiatarone,#10 Justin O'Camb. Photo Christian Hugener
www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLYC4
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OUR HOMESLamorinda Weekly Volume 07 Issue 2 Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Lamorinda
Hiring Licensed or Unlicensed Contractors: What You Should Know...read on page D8Digging Deep with Cynthia BrianWeed, Seed, Feed!By Cynthia Brian
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson
When is the right time to plant seeds?This is a question I have often beenasked as I travel throughout the coun-
try speaking on gardening issues. Over the years Ihave embraced the age old farmer’s timing tech-nique for planting seeds in any climate, anywhere:if you can sit on the ground with your bare bottomand not feel too cold or wet, it’s warm enough tosow!
This year the ground was especially warm ear-
lier than usual and already I have tomatoes, pep-pers, and squash sprouting. Winter seemed to skipby Lamorinda as we went from autumn to spring.Weeds are not as ubiquitous as they have been inthe past, yet before we sow our spring seeds, it isimperative to carefully edit and amend our gar-dens. If you planted cover crops such as vetch,clover, or fava beans, turn them over to add themuch desired nitrogen and nutrients to the soil.Other weeds need to be manually pulled and eitheradded to compost piles or put in the green bin.Once we have made sure our soil is rich and ready,it’s prime time to buy the seed packets or six packsand start digging.
Arugula was my top pick for growing greens
this season. I have planted runway serrated, rusticorganic, true Italian organic, and, of course, myvery favorite…wasabi. A jewel-toned blend ofbeets as well as purple and rattlesnake pole beansare already in the ground. A healthy crop of radiantradishes garnish our plates and butter lettuce is al-ready curly and luscious. To add a bit of pretty to
the scene, I have sowed nigella mulberry rose, lark-spur Parisian pink, Echinacea purpurea starlight,and rainbow poppies. They are not yet large
enough to photograph but I anticipate a compli-ment of colors.
...continued on page D4
Delicate butter lettuce is ready for the table. Photo Cynthia Brian
OUR HOMES Wed., March 27, 2013Page: D2
Reach 60,000+ in LamorindaAdvertise in Lamorinda Weekly
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Lamorinda Home Sales recorded
Home sales are compiled by Cal REsource, an Oakland real estate information company. Sale prices are computed from the county transfer tax in-formation shown on the deeds that record at close of escrow and are published five to eight weeks after such recording. This information is obtainedfrom public county records and is provided to us by California REsource. Neither Cal REsource nor this publication are liable for errors or omissions.
CityLAFAYETTE MORAGA ORINDA
Last reported:45
11
LOWEST AMOUNT:$778,000$289,000$193,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT:$1,000,000$1,200,000$1,650,000
LAFAYETTE556 Arrowhead Drive, $1,000,000, 4 Bdrms, 2584 SqFt, 1959 YrBlt, 2-20-13;
Previous Sale: $259,000, 04-23-85995 Carol Lane, $778,000, 3 Bdrms, 1506 SqFt, 1951 YrBlt, 2-21-133286 Gloria Terrace, $960,000, 4 Bdrms, 2848 SqFt, 1967 YrBlt, 2-26-13;
Previous Sale: $1,425,000, 11-28-05675 Moraga Road, $935,000, 4 Bdrms, 4674 SqFt, 1981 YrBlt, 2-20-13MORAGA1350 Bollinger Canyon, $1,200,000, 3328 SqFt, 1985 YrBlt, 2-22-13;
Previous Sale: $579,000, 09-30-977 Carr Drive, $825,000, 4 Bdrms, 1624 SqFt, 1961 YrBlt, 2-22-13;
Previous Sale: $680,000, 04-25-032133 Donald Drive #8, $289,000, 2 Bdrms, 1224 SqFt, 1963 YrBlt, 2-15-13;
Previous Sale: $229,000, 06-02-11140 Draeger Drive, $800,000, 3 Bdrms, 1341 SqFt, 1958 YrBlt, 2-20-1323 Ross Drive, $745,000, 3 Bdrms, 1461 SqFt, 1959 YrBlt, 2-15-13;
Previous Sale: $25,000, 11-12-70ORINDA1 Arbolado Court, $800,000, 3 Bdrms, 1917 SqFt, 1958 YrBlt, 2-27-13;
Previous Sale: $850,000, 04-17-071299 Bear Creek Road, $879,000, 2375 SqFt, 1977 YrBlt, 2-15-13;
Previous Sale: $840,000, 03-02-1267 Brookwood Road #5, $193,000, 1 Bdrms, 764 SqFt, 1963 YrBlt, 2-14-1316 Dos Posos, $800,000, 3 Bdrms, 2446 SqFt, 1977 YrBlt, 2-15-13;
Previous Sale: $561,000, 01-14-00215 Glorietta Boulevard, $1,200,000, 4 Bdrms, 2066 SqFt, 1952 YrBlt, 2-14-13;
Previous Sale: $350,000, 12-01-98214 Hall Drive, $743,000, 4 Bdrms, 1898 SqFt, 1955 YrBlt, 2-22-13;
Previous Sale: $925,000, 08-18-0622 Ichabod Lane, $850,000, 3 Bdrms, 1789 SqFt, 1955 YrBlt, 2-15-13121 La Espiral, $1,650,000, 4 Bdrms, 3712 SqFt, 1997 YrBlt, 2-26-13;
Previous Sale: $1,200,000, 05-26-99132 Overhill Road, $720,000, 3 Bdrms, 1334 SqFt, 1955 YrBlt, 2-20-131 Snowberry Lane, $1,272,000, 5 Bdrms, 3271 SqFt, 1948 YrBlt, 2-14-13;
Previous Sale: $730,000, 11-10-9981 Van Ripper Lane, $1,150,000, 3 Bdrms, 2717 SqFt, 1951 YrBlt, 2-14-13
Finola Fellner and Lynn Molloypresent:
©2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensedto Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. DRE License # 01908304
Finola Fellner925.890.7807www.FinolaFellner.com
Lynn Molloy925.818.7620
www.lynnmolloy-realestate.com
Spanish Mediterranean Country Club Residence
Beautifully situated on Lake
Cascade, this approx. 4900 Sq Ft
Spanish Mediterranean Country
Club residence on .68 acres,
designed by architect Alan Page
of Talon Design Group and built
by award winning Mark Bohon
of The Bohon Group, goes
beyond its five bedrooms, four full and two half baths, private office, four fireplaces
and 3 car garage. It is surrounded by lovely gardens irrigated by an onsite well,
mature oak trees, a small scale vineyard, a creek and large level lawn. This
extraordinary multi-level property offers unique architectural features such as hand
plastered walls, arched Douglas Fir double front doors, clay tile roof with copper
gutters, wrap-around terra cotta patios and balconies with stunning views of the
lake, and oversized transom French doors and windows that bring a sense of light
and balance to this special home. Price upon request
Call for your private showing.
The Beaubelle GroupColdwell Banker’s #1 Group in the East Bay
DRE # 01428834
DRE # 01910108
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 925-377-0977 www.lamorindaweekly.com OUR HOMES LAMORINDA WEEKLY Pag e: D3
Coming Soon!
Realtors Recommended for a Reason
Kurt Piper ��������� ��� �� ����� Amy Price ��������
925.818.8000 415.606.2047 415.265.3903 925.997.6808 925.216.7583
Gorgeous Kitchen Zinfandel Vineyard Downtown Charmer
Paradise Found ������������� ������
www.KurtPiperGroup.comFor more information:
Burton Valley Beauty
Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLY OUR HOMES www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013D4
Naturally, it’s also important to plant pollen plants to at-tract the pollinators and help them thrive, which in turn helpsour gardens grow. Did you know that bee pollinators provideone of every three bites we take? Honeybees have been disap-pearing in record numbers and butterflies have also sufferedsignificant population declines. It is essential to eliminate pes-ticides and insecticides while planting flowers of varied shapesto bring the bees and butterflies. Here are pollinator plants that can easily be grown fromseed. Plant them as succession plants for three seasons of en-joyment that will also support a range of bee and butterflyspecies. For Early Blooms:Baby Blue EyesCalifornia PoppyChivesCloverLarkspurLupineOsteospermumPeaPoppyViola
For Mid-Season Beauty:Bachelor’s ButtonBasilBlack-eye SusanBorageCalendulaCilantroCosmosFoxgloveLavenderSquashThyme
For Late-Season Color:AgastacheAmaranthCleomeDahliaMarigoldSalviaSunflowerZinnia
Digging Deep with Cynthia Brian...continued from page D1
Tangerine-colored osteospermum is a pollinator plant.
It's time to till the vetch cover crop into your soil to add nutrients.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 925-377-0977 www.lamorindaweekly.com OUR HOMES LAMORINDA WEEKLY Pag e: D5
WWW.HOLCENBERG.COMClient satisfaction: a family tradition
Wendy [email protected]
925.253.4630DRE#00637795
Michelle [email protected]
925.253.4663DRE#01373412
Just Sold in Moraga
Call us so your home can be next! ©2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. ColdwellBanker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real
Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal HousingOpportunity . Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is
owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. DRE License # 01908304
Here’s what one satisfiedseller has to say:"The Holcenbergs are THE real estateagents you want to hire. They sold our housein Moraga quickly and were on top of everydetail. They are extremely knowledgeable,organized, friendly, helpful, creative withtheir ideas, and their communication is offthe charts..... fantastic. They made the saleof our house as easy as it could have been.We never had a question about what wasgoing on or the sequence of events takingplace. I really cannot say much more thanthey are EXCELLENT!!! Look nowhereelse, you have found them!!!!"
Susan, Moraga seller
Located on a cul-de-sac in Campolindo, this single-story home offers luxury and
spaciousness with high-end finishes throughout. There are three bedrooms, plus a
retreat/office, and two bathrooms. The remodeled kitchen with dinette opens to
the family room. Dual-paned windows, hardwood floors, moldings and outfitted
closets. Outdoor pool and BBQ area with views. Sold for $1,040,000
24 Corte Mateo, Moraga
Once you have sowed your special selections,you’ll want to add a bit of organic fertilizer to feed theseed. A brew of homemade compost tea is recom-mended although you can purchase organic plant foodat your local garden center. A regular fertilizing pro-gram is needed to keep plants growing well and attrac-tive all season. The choice of fertilizer analysis willdepend on the kinds of plants you are growing.
High nitrogen sources is perfect for plants grown
for their foliage while flowering and vegetable cropsprefer lower nitrogen and higher phosphorous types.
With your spring garden planted, you may now
begin dreaming of the delicious crops to be harvestedin the future. Water, tend, and wait!
April Gardening Guide is on D11
The flowers of the strawberry plant herald juicy fruits to come. Photos Cynthia Brian
Moraga ~ Craftsman Custom Home with 2490 sq. ft. and many energy efficient elements. The 1.29 Acres offers a private site with a home offering a host of amenities. Only 1block to High School.
Priced to Sell! $1,150,000
5324 Alhambra Valley Road, Martinez ~ In the heart of Alham-bra Valley residential area - an old country estate with once stately home, large wooden barn and other out buildings - all contractor specials - on 2.6 acres of level land - possibly can be sub-divided. Located near multi-million dollar homes. Shown by appointment only. $995,000
Alhambra Valley and Briones land ~ From 10 acres to 100 acres - you choose the ideal location for your dream estate in the lovely Alhambra Valley and Briones area. Just 15 minutes from Lafayette and Orinda, this beautiful countryside is one of the best kept se-crets in Contra Costa County. Shown by appointment only. $595,000 - $2,000,000
Danville ~ Wonderful updated 4 Bdrm, 2.5 Bath home with over 2700 sq ft. Walking distance to 12 years of top ranked schools. Large kitchen with huge center island perfect for entertaining. Hardwood floors, crown moulding, dual pane windows. Private
backyard w/pool and built in bar-be-que. $1,149,000
The Pereira Team ~ 925.297.0321 [email protected]
Gretchen Bryce ~ 925.683.2477 [email protected]
Bruce Maxon ~ 925.200.0179 [email protected]
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It...
A Member Of Real Living
������������������� �������� ��������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������� ����!����������������"�#���������������������� ������$������%�����������������$���� ���!����$�������������������������������������������"�#�������������!�����������������$����!���!����$�� ���&����������������!��������� ��������"�#����������'�����������������������$�������������������������������������������������� �$������ �������������$����'��!����������$���"�(����������!��������������������������������������!��������������� ���������������������������������������'���������������������������������������������������������������������!��!�� �����������������������"�#�����������������������������'��!�������!������������������$����������!�������������������"�(����������������������������������$�����")
David and Abbey Cook, Lafayette, CA - 2012
Real estate with a difference.
Ron and Susan RothenbergLisa Quiros��*"�+,"**-�
����.���������� ���"������"#��������� ���"���
/�01���-���+,�2���+*3*43�2���4��+3,
����������������� ������'��!������������������ ������������������ ����%������$����������!�������� ��� ���� ������������!������"��#���������'�����������!����$������������������������"��#����!��$��������� ������������$���%����������&�����!�����������������������"��#����������'�����������������������������������������������$�������!��������������������!������"��5�� �������������������������������������������������$���������������$����������������'������������������������'��!������"��6����&������������������������� �������"""� ��������������7�������������������8) Tom Barber, Lafayette, CA - 2012
Page: LAMORINDA WEEKLY OUR HOMES www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, March 27, 2013D8
©2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity . Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. DRE License # 01908304
Desirable Happy Valley Home 3644A Happy Valley Rd, Lafayette
Down a tree-lined lane sits this magnificent house designed by
Richard Danskin. It is a single level, 4 BD- 3 1/2 BA approx. 3480
sq.ft. home on a flat .62 acre lot. It has a totally remodeled guest
cottage (1BD/1BA) and a large private backyard with pool, lawn
area and beautiful landscaping with private patios off of the kitchen
and Master bedroom. Most of this home has been remodeled while
keeping the unique architectual qualities intact like the high vaulted
ceiling which runs from the front entry through to the covered
backyard patio area. This house lends itself to indoor/outdoor
entertaining. Showings are available by appointment only beginning
March 29th. Price Upon Request
For more information please call Loretta Barra (925)212-9228 or email [email protected]
Loretta J. BarraPreviews Property SpecialistColdwell Banker, Orinda
(925) 212-9228 www.LorettaBarra.comCA DRE#01319151
COMING SOON !
Hiring Licensed or Unlicensed Contractors: WhatYou Should KnowBy Don Odell
The economy has hit the construction industryhard and many contractors and construction
workers are out of work. This has proven to be a sav-ings boom for property owners as the glut of construc-tion workers looking for work has forced the price ofconstruction down. However, for the unwary prop-erty owner, this savings can bring risk.
For the first time in perhaps a decade, highly skilled
construction workers, many without licenses, are look-ing for work and are willing to significantly discount theirprices. But at what cost to you, the property owner?
It is not unrealistic to hire an unlicensed contrac-
tor with as much or more experience as a licensed con-tractor for half the cost. But, before you do so, considerthat the State of California requires that anyone per-forming work for which a contractor's license is re-quired have a current contractor's license.
The license does not guarantee that the work
performed will be good, it simply assures that the con-tractor has met certain basic standards and that thecontractor has basic experience and knowledge of thework covered by the license. It also assures that thecontractor has a minimum bond to help ensure thatthe work is completed, and, if the work contemplatedis $500 or more, it requires that the contractor enterinto a contract with you for that work.
An unlicensed contractor, on the other hand, can
not obtain worker's compensation insurance. So if
someone working on your job is injured on the proj-ect, you could be personally liable.
Unlicensed contractors are not bonded, so if they
do not complete the work, you will have to pay to fin-ish it, even if you've already paid the contractor.
... continued on next page
A local solar company installs, monitors, and finances residential and commercial energy systems. They arelicensed to install, maintain and repair solar energy systems and for heating, ventilating and air conditioning.Some of the crew are pictured installing panels on a home in Moraga. Photos Cathy Tyson
Wed., March 27, 2013 OUR HOMES Pag e: D9
©2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal
Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. DRE License # 01908304
www.sellinglamorinda.com
Chad Morrison
When you arerepresented by Chad
Morrison, you make thechoice to receive the
highest level of serviceand professionalism
in the business.
Direct: 925.253.4650
Mobile: 925.330.1416
DRE# 01905614
Unlike most licensed contactors, unlicensed contractors do not carry errors andomissions insurance so if the contractor's work injures someone or damages yourproperty, you will be faced with the difficult task of trying to recover your damagesfrom the contractor. Also, their work is usually not documented under a writtencontract, leaving you with no clear statement of what is required of the contractor,and they often do not pay taxes on the money they receive, potentially exposingyou to the risk of having to pay employment taxes and social security taxes for thecontractor.
Further, many unlicensed contractors do not obtain permits for their work
or have the work inspected by the local building inspectors. This creates a severelong term problem for the property owned, particularly where residential prop-erties are concerned, because when the owner goes to sell the property, the owneris required to disclose that the work was done without permits, a disclosure thatoften negatively impacts the sale price.
So, while you can save money by hiring unlicensed contractors, doing so
comes with risks and unless you are careful, you could end up paying far more inthe long run for the work than if you hired a licensed contractor.
To be safe, before you hire anyone to work on your property, licensed or not,
take the time to educate yourself on the risks and make sure that you have a con-tract in place that will protect you.
Donald Odell is a licensed California attorney with 19 years of experience representingbusinesses, homeowners and contractors throughout the Bay Area. He can becontacted at (925) 788-3089 or at [email protected].
With more than 20 years of experience under his tool belt, a Lafayette handymanfinds plenty of work on a variety of projects around the area, from installingcrown molding to building a pergola to working on recent real estate listings thatneed some TLC.
Blue Ridg
e
Landscape Company Inc.
Blue Jay Feldman
OWNER/OPERATOR
www.blueridgelc.com
DESIGN
INSTALLATION
IRRIGATION
DRAINAGE
STONEWORK
CONCRETE WORK
DECKS
FENCES
PATIOS
LAWNS
PONDS
CLEANUP &
HAULING
925-258-9233
cell: 510-847-6160
LICENSED
INSURED
Lic# 818633
family owned since 1933
Celebrating over 20 years of service in Lamorinda. Bonded – Licensed & Insured License# 702845 C27 & C53
OUR HOMES Wed., March 27, 2013Page: D10
MoreContractorFacts While the Contractors State License Boardsays that anyone performing constructionwork in California that totals $500 or more inlabor and materials must be licensed, unli-censed workers are easy to find, and forsmall jobs around the house, usually a goodsolution. The Labor Enforcement Task Force(LETF), part of the California Department ofIndustrial Relations is out there to policewhat they call “an underground economyand improve the state’s business environ-ment” to enforce carrying workers’ compen-sation insurance and provide a safe workenvironment, proper payment of wages andsupport the collection of all California taxes,fees and penalties. In 2012, a total of 635construction businesses were inspected bythe LETF. The California State License Boardestimates there are about 300,000 licensedcontractors in the state, so despite under-cover sting operations, the likelihood of get-ting caught is fairly slim. Obviously it’s hardto quantify how many unlicensed contrac-tors there are.C. Tyson
Cynthia Brian’s Gardening Guide for April“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Frank Lloyd WrightGreener environments cut the time it takes to recover from surgery, improve the way the immune system works, and help diabetics achieve healthier blood glucose levels. Just like eating greensprovides essential nutrients to the body, so does just seeing and being around green according to researchers. While we are happily planting our spring gardens, it is essential to savor the surprises thatare already smiling on us. Sweet, fragrant stock is often overlooked, yet it is a stunner with its heady scent of clove in a variety of hues. Tulips and hyacinths top the charts as they reach for the Easterspotlight while daffodils and freesias maintain their sunshine through the end of May. Strawberry plants blossom as a harbinger of the sweet red treats to come. Give your garden a lift! It's easy tointroduce exquisite beauty, luscious colors, rich perfume, and nutritious food simply by planting what you love to eat and see in your spring landscape.• AMEND soil with compost, manure, and organic matter before preparing garden beds.• MAKE marmalade with a variety of citrus. It’s so easy using both the rind and the juice. Mix tangerine, tangelo, Meyer lemon, and orange. For a healthier jam, use less sugar and check online for recipes.• ELIMINATE snails and slugs now by plucking from plants or drowning in beer before April showers.• MIX perennials and annuals to extend the blooming season. Many specimens marked “annuals” are really perennials in Lamorinda including snapdragon, lobelia, primroses, and fibrous begonias. Pansies sometimes return annually.• DISCARD fallen blooms from camellias and rhododendrons. Do not compost or leave them on the ground.• RECHARGE spent daffodils by allowing the leaves to yellow and wither. The bulb is nourished for next season by leaving the leaves attached to the bulb. Inter-plant colorful annuals as a cover.• DIG holes for summer blooming bulbs including tuberous begonias, gladiolus, lilies, and dahlias. • WEED, weed, weed before you seed and feed. While the soil is still moist, roots can be plugged more easily. Don’t let the seed heads scatter or next year you’ll have double or triple the problem.• WATER weekly the bare root roses, vines, and fruit trees planted earlier in the year. Stone fruit trees will bear fruit in two to three years as long as the roots are kept moist and there is plenty of sunshine.• FERTILIZE all blooming and fruiting bushes and trees with an all-purpose organic mixer.• BE AWARE of late season frosts that can damage tender plants. Keep blankets or sheets ready to cover your pots when warnings of cold nights are announced. • BOOST your levels of vitamin A and C by planting orange-colored vegetables and fruits including cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, carrots, peaches, orange bell peppers, citrus, and persimmons. Oranges and tangerines are ripe and ready now.• ENCOURAGE pollinators to your yard with swathes of salvia, sunflowers, black eyed Susan, Echinacea, borage, dill, and thyme.• MOVE your containers to sun or shade areas to maintain the desired conditions for peak performance.• BUY organic, free range eggs in a plethora of colors laid by chickens that eat natural greens, worms, and insects.• SPEND time in nature and enjoy the health benefits. • PLAN a butterfly habitat with sedum, purple coneflower, iris, prairie grasses, bee balm, nicotiana, butterfly bush, and parsley. The flowers are nectar to the adults and the leaves nourish the larvae. Don’t forget to offer a restful vista of stones and a cool drink with a fountain, bird bath, or pond for the flying visitors.• CREATE a fire safe barrier around your home by removing debris, dead branches, fire wood, or other flammable substances before summer. It appears we may have a hot, dry season ahead with high fire danger. • TURN on automatic lawn irrigation for a few minutes every two weeks to make sure that grass has not grown over sprinkler heads. Grass grows quickly and thickly in spring and can easily cover sprinklers making it more difficult for you to water when necessary.• ENJOY Easter and Passover with a picnic in the back yard with family and friends.
May the Easter bunny hop through your garden and the forest fairies sprinkle dandy dust onall your seedlings. In plain English…Joyful springtime and get growing!
Happy gardening to you!©2013Cynthia BrianThe Goddess GardenerCynthia@goddessgardener.comwww.goddessgardener.com925-377-7827Cynthia is available as a speaker and consultant.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 925-377-0977 www.lamorindaweekly.com OUR HOMES LAMORINDA WEEKLY Pag e: D11
Family owned in Moraga since 1987
[email protected] www.advancetree.com
& Landscaping
CALL AN ARBORISTThe most common reason a tree owner calls an
arborist is concern that something is wrong with a tree. It may be that some of the
leaves are discolored, a branch has died, or perhaps the entire tree has been dropping
leaves. Sometimes the cause of the concern is a minor problem that is easily explained
and corrected. Other times the problem is more complex-with several underlining
causes and a remedy that requires treatments extending over several years.
Unfortunately, there are instances in which the problem has gone undetected for so long
that the tree cannot be helped, and the only option is removal. If an arborist had been
called earlier, perhaps the tree could have been saved.
So don’t wait until it’s too late, have a complete inspection by a Certified Arborist at
Advance Tree Service and Landscaping.
Advance Tree ServiceYour Authority on Trees and Landscape.
Follow us on Twitter (advancetree) and like us on Face Book(ADVANCETREESERVICEANDLANDSCAPINGINC.)
Lic.: #611120
Your friendly neighborhood arborists Darren and Lew Edwards
93 Moraga Way, Suite 103 Orinda, CA 94563(925) 254-0505 or 1-866-856-VARE
Lamorinda’s Leading Independent Real Estate Firm.
Visit www.villageassociates.comto see our weekly online previews.
Click on Friday after 5 PM for Open House listings
ASSOCIATES
R E A L E S T A T E
THE VILLAGE ASSOCIATES: Ashley BattersbyPatricia BattersbyJoan ClevelandShannon ConnerJoan EggersLinda EhrichJoan EvansLinda S FriedmanMarianne GreeneDexter Honens IIAnne Knight Susan Zeh LayngArt LehmanCharles LevineApril MatthewsKaren MurphyBen OlsenSue OlsenTara RochlinJaime Roder Altie Schmitt Judy SchoenrockAnn SharfAmy Rose Smith Molly SmithJeff SnellLynda SnellClark ThompsonAngie Evans TraxingerIgnacio VegaTerri Bates WalkerAnn WardDan WeilMargaret Zucker
Sunday Open House
2050 Shell Ridge TrailNorthgate Vineyard Estate w/ Gated 1.08
Acres, Grand main house, gorgeous grounds,
guest/party house w/movie theatre, diner style
game room + newer salt-water pool, 5-car
garage.
Offered at $2,400,000
ORINDA
42 La CrestaWalk to Del Rey! 4 bd+bonus/3 ba. 2469 sq.
ft. .45 acre. This home has it all, open floor
plan, flat lawn, large deck, around the corner
from 12 years of top rated schools.
Offered at $1,095,000
ORINDA
79 Rheem Blvd.Charming 2642 sf, 3bd/2.5ba hm w/ large rms, formal
LR/DR & family room, remodeled kit., fab mstr bed-
room w/deluxe spa ba. Private Rim Trail setting pro-
vides beautiful landscaping, grassy yds & 250sf guest
cottage w/ 1bd/1ba. Offered at $1,215,000
ORINDA
34 Oak Road
ORINDA
156 Ardith DriveOne of a Kind! Pristine ONE LEVEL home offers
you 4bd/4ba, an office, a spectacular designer kitchen
w/adj fam rm, perfect indoor/outdoor living spaces
w/LEVEL LAWNS/ Sunset Views.
Offered at $1,588,000ORINDA
35 Haciendas RoadBeautiful 5Br/ 3.5ba, 3827 sf contemporary on 1.25 ac
lot in prime country club location w/updated kit. & baths.
Lr & Dr, office, 2 family rms, wonderful outdr space
w/stone patio, built-in stainless grill, pool, spa & pvt
tennis ct. Top schools. Offered at $2,150,000
ORINDA
65 La EspiralUpdated 4bd/4ba with beautiful custom features &
amenities. Very well maintained. Majestic setting,
lovely gardens, new pool + views/ privacy, fully
fenced. Tuscany ambiance, European flair.
Offered at $2,195,000
ORINDA
95 Diablo View DriveQuality 4203 sf home full of top-end amenities + fine
attn. to detail, tons of style, fab. 2.66 ac view setting.
New high-end gourmet kit, adjoining FR plus deluxe
spa-like master bath. Easy access to incredible yard,
pool, and privacy! Offered at $2,395,000
ORINDA
68 Singingwood LaneOrinda Downs! Exquisite 6bd/5.5ba Architect's
Home, cul-de-sac, over 5,000 sf, 1.7 acres, soaring
ceilings, views, level lawn/patio, lush landscape.
First time on market in 21 years.
Offered at $2,750,000MORAGA
349 TharpRemodeled, turnkey 4bd/3ba, 2470 sq.ft. rancher on a
level .24 acre lot with pool, patio & lawn. Gourmet
kitchen with center granite island, HW floors, cathedral
ceilings & more! Entertainers dream home.
Offered at $1,050,000
LAFAYETTE
3396 Moraga Blvd.Just Listed! Totally charming 3bd/2ba with
updated kitchen, new master bath, huge yard.
Walk to town.
Offered at $865,000
LAFAYETTE
18 Benthill Court
LAFAYETTE
3680 Hastings CourtHappy Valley Glen end of cul de sac. Stylish hm in
premium loc. Favorite neighborhood nr town &
BART. Fabulous remodel. New gourmet kit/fam rm,
hardwood flrs, glass doors/ windows.
Offered at $1,375,000LAFAYETTE
3370 Woodview Drive
LAFAYETTE
3949 South PeardaleGracious Colonial in Happy Valley. All exquisitely
remodeled extraordinary appointments, detail.
Lafayette Juniors Kitchen Tour 2009. Fabulous
Kitchen, Baths. Luxurious Master Suite. Beautiful
living areas. Great neighborhood.
Offered at $2,650,000
Stunning Custom Home w/ attn to detail & quality.
App. 3163 sf, on .54 ac parcel w/ lovely views,
privacy, & fabulous entertaining areas. Some
amenities include hdwd flrs, “Cooks Kitchen”
5bd/4.5 ba, formal din rm & 2nd FR.
Offered at $1,495,000
WALNUT CREEK
3706 Waterford LaneGorgeous Traditional 4bd/3.5ba Northgate home.
Many upgrades! New carpet, paint, refinished hard-
wood floors. Huge eat-in kitchen/family rm. For-
mal dining & living rms. Professionally landscaped
back yard. Grand master with adjoining den.
Offered at $1,370,000
WALNUT CREEK
New Listing
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New ListingNew Listing New Listing Pending
Pending
Custom Built Castle Gate Home, 4bd/3ba 2601
sf. Chef's kitchen, great light, vaulted ceilings,
private setting, .95 Acres level & terrace yard,
gardens, oak trees.
Offered at $1,305,000
Recently renovated 4bd/ 2.5ba, 3013 sf stylish
contemporary on .47 ac lot w/unobstructed views of
Mt. Diablo & downtown W.C. Open flr plan features
eat-in kit; LR, DR, FR; new redwood decks;
Lafayette schools. Offered at $995,000